Latest news with #BillieJeanKingMVP
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin wins PWHL MVP, Forward of the Year
OTTAWA — Montreal Victoire forward Marie-Philip Poulin was named MVP of the 2024-25 PWHL season on Wednesday afternoon, finishing ahead of now-former Boston captain Hilary Knight and Toronto's No. 1 defender Renata Fast. The Victoire captain was the favorite to win the award — named the Billie Jean King MVP — after she led the league in goals (19) and finished fourth in points (26), just three off the lead. Poulin was critical to Montreal's success in the regular season, where she scored 26 percent of the team's goals and factored into 34 percent. She never went more than two games without a point this season, and no player scored more game-winning goals (6), first goals (5) or insurance goals to put a game out of reach (3) than Poulin. Advertisement She also won Forward of the Year, beating out Knight and New York rookie Sarah Fillier, who finished tied with the most points in the league's regular season (29). Poulin was a runner-up for last year's MVP last year, which went to Toronto forward Natalie Spooner after a dominant inaugural season. She's the only two-time finalist for the award in the PWHL's two-year history. Now, Poulin adds an MVP award to a trophy case that already includes three Olympic gold medals, four world championships, multiple MVP and scoring awards during her time in the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League and a Canadian Athlete of the Year award, among many other accolades over a career destined for Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinement. Poulin already won the league's goal title at the conclusion of the regular season. And Ottawa goalie Gwyneth Philips won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP after she led the Charge to the Finals and had an unbelievable .952 save percentage over the postseason. The PWHL announced the winners of four other major awards at a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. Here are the results and the finalists. Rookie of the Year: Sarah Fillier (New York) Fillier, 25, was one of the best forwards in the league this season after being selected first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft. She finished her rookie season tied for the league lead in scoring. Her 16 assists were the most by a forward, and her 13 goals ranked fourth. Fillier led rookies in all three categories. Finalists: Jennifer Gardiner (Montreal) and Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa) Coach of the Year: Kori Cheverie (Montreal) Cheverie was a finalist for the award last season and beat out Toronto's head coach, Troy Ryan (the inaugural winner,) this year after leading Montreal to a first-place finish in the regular season. 🏆 2025 Coach of the Year: Kori Cheverie Behind every great season is a brilliant mind.—🏆 Entraîneuse de l'année 2025 : Korie Cheverie Derrière chaque grande saison se cache un esprit encore plus grand. — PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) June 25, 2025 Finalists: Troy Ryan (Toronto) and Carla MacLeod (Ottawa) Goaltender of the Year: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal) Desbiens was the very best goalie in the PWHL this season. Her 15 wins, 1.86 goals against average and .932 save percentage led all starters and were critically important to Montreal's success in the regular season. The Victoire lost in the first round of the playoffs, but Desbiens was excellent there too with a 1.55 goals against average and .943 save percentage that was only bested by playoff MVP Gwyneth Philips. Finalists: Aerin Frankel (Boston) and Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa) Advertisement Defender of the Year: Renata Fast (Toronto) Fast became the first defender to be voted a finalist for MVP, a credit to her impact at both ends of the ice for the Toronto Sceptres. No defender had more points (22) or hits (63) this season than Fast. With almost 740 minutes of play, Fast was on the ice more than any player in the league, averaging 24:39 per game. Finalists: Sophie Jaques (Minnesota) and Claire Thompson (Minnesota) PWHL All-Rookie Team Forwards: Sarah Fillier (New York), Jennifer Gardiner (Montreal), Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota) Defense: Cayla Barnes (Montreal), Anna Wilgren (Montreal) Goalie: Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa) PWHL Second Team All-Stars Forwards: Daryl Watts (Toronto), Tereza Vanišová (Ottawa), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota) Defense: Claire Thompson (Minnesota), Ella Shelton (New York) Goalie: Aerin Frankel (Boston) PWHL First Team All-Stars Forwards: Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal), Hilary Knight (Boston), Sarah Fillier (New York) Defense: Renata Fast (Toronto), Sophie Jaques (Minnesota) Goalie: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal) The PWHL provides performance bonuses as laid out in the collective bargaining agreement: Billie Jean King MVP: $5,000 Forward of the Year: $4,000 Defender of the Year: $4,000 Goalie of the Year: $4,000 Rookie of the Year: $4,000 'Hockey for All' award: $4,000 (Photo of Marie-Philip Poulin: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Poulin, Fast, Knight named finalist for PWHL's Billie Jean King MVP award
TORONTO – Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Toronto Sceptres defender Renata Fast and Boston Fleet forward Hilary Knight have been named finalists for the Professional Women's Hockey League's Billie Jean King MVP award. Poulin, also a finalist in the PWHL's inaugural 2024 season, led the league with 19 goals and added seven assists as the Victoire finished the regular season with the league's best record. The 34-year-old from Beauceville, Que., who is also a finalist for the PWHL's top forward award along with Knight and New York's Sarah Fillier, scored a record six game-winning goals and led the league with five multi-goal games that included the first hat-trick of the season. Fast, the first defender to be named an MVP finalist, led all blueliners with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) while averaging a league-high 24 minutes 39 seconds of ice time per game. The 30-year-old from Burlington, Ont., was the only defender with three game-winning goals and a six-game point streak. Fast, who is also a defender of the year finalist, tied for the league lead with four multi-assist games. Knight tied for the PWHL scoring lead with 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 30 games. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The 35-year-old from Sun Valley, Idaho, had seven goals and four assists over a five-game point streak from March 5-26. Toronto forward Natalie Spooner won the inaugural Billie Jean King award last season. The PWHL's award winners will be announced June 25 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Ottawa. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.
Toronto Star
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Poulin, Fast, Knight named finalist for PWHL's Billie Jean King MVP award
TORONTO - Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Toronto Sceptres defender Renata Fast and Boston Fleet forward Hilary Knight have been named finalists for the Professional Women's Hockey League's Billie Jean King MVP award. Poulin, also a finalist in the PWHL's inaugural 2024 season, led the league with 19 goals and added seven assists as the Victoire finished the regular season with the league's best record.
CBC
11-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Reigning PWHL MVP Natalie Spooner to make season debut with Sceptres after injury
Social Sharing Reigning PWHL MVP Natalie Spooner will make her season debut for the Toronto Sceptres on Tuesday after having off-season knee surgery. But her return coincides with another major loss for the Sceptres, after forward Sarah Nurse was injured playing for Team Canada at the Rivalry Series last week. Spooner was hurt last May in a collision into the boards during Game 3 of the team's first-round Walter Cup playoff series against Minnesota, which went on to win the championship. The forward will make her debut against the same team on Tuesday, when the Sceptres host the Frost at Coca-Cola Coliseum. "I'm excited to be back with my teammates and looking forward to competing next to them again," Spooner said in a statement. "It was obviously a long road to get to this point and doesn't happen without a lot of amazing people in my corner. "I'm very grateful for my surgical and medical team that have gotten me back to full health." Spooner won the Billie Jean King MVP and top forward awards last season after leading all players in points (27) and goals (20). She was also named the IIHF's female player of the year. Even after missing half of the Sceptres' games this season, Spooner is still tied with Montreal's Marie-Philip Poulin for the all-time PWHL goal-scoring lead (20 goals). "We've been patiently waiting for the return of Natalie Spooner," Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury said. "We are tremendously proud of the work she has invested in getting herself to this point. This has been a long journey, and she has shown throughout this process just how elite of an athlete she is." Nurse out 'indefinitely' To make room for Spooner, the team moved rookie defender Lauren Bernard to the reserve list and released forward Sam Cogan from the reserve player pool. WATCH | PWHL Mic'd Up with Toronto's Emma Maltais: PWHL Mic'd Up: Toronto Sceptres' Emma Maltais 4 days ago Duration 5:32 Listen in to the best on-ice moments from Canadian forward Emma Maltais as the Toronto Sceptres defeat the Ottawa Charge 4-2. While adding Spooner will provide a boost to the Sceptres, they'll miss Nurse, who was moved to long-term injured reserve on Monday. She'll be out of the lineup "indefinitely" after sustaining a lower-body injury in Thursday's Rivalry Series game against the United States. The injury appears to have happened when Nurse collided awkwardly with her Sceptres teammate, Jesse Compher, who was playing for the U.S. Nurse has registered 12 points in 15 games, including five goals, for a Sceptres team that has struggled to find its footing for much of the season. The Sceptres sit in fourth place in the six-team league going into Tuesday's game against Minnesota, just one point behind third-place New York. The team went into the international break with a key 4-2 win over Ottawa that allowed the Sceptres to pass the Charge and move from last place to fourth. But the team will be challenged to keep that momentum going after a nine-day break and the loss of Nurse. PWHL Mic'd Up: Toronto Sceptres' Sarah Nurse 13 days ago Duration 6:33 Listen in to the best on-ice moments from Canadian forward Sarah Nurse as the Toronto Sceptres defeat the New York Sirens 4-2. In addition to Spooner, the team has also added German forward Laura Kluge for the rest of the season. Kluge, who just helped her country earn a spot at the 2026 Olympics, attended the Sceptres' training camp in the fall. "Laura had a great training camp with us and left a great impression on our entire team," Kingsbury said. "She will add to our team both on and off the ice."
