The end of the PWHL regular season and the start of the playoffs brings a time for reflection and reassessment. There are the official awards to recognize the best players, but here at The Ice Garden, we think there’s more to the athletes of the PWHL than just what you see on the ice. Thus, in true end-of-school fashion, we’ve decided to share our picks for PWHL superlatives, taking into account all the vibes, drama, and personal biases necessary. Hear from TIG’s best and brightest – Mike Murphy, Geremy, Natalia Rachman, Elisha Coté, Dylan Nazareth, LJ Bachenheimer, Emma Sullivan, Maya Smith, and Michelle Jay – on the league’s most enthusiastic fans, best dressed, most improved player, and more.
Best Goaltender (Not Named Aerin Frankel or Ann-Renee Desbiens)
Maya Smith: Gwyneth Philips. It was between her and Raygan Kirk for me, but Philips carried the load nearly single-handedly for the Charge and kept up her stats as she went. Plus, the Charge are in the playoffs now, and the Sceptres are not (not that Kirk is responsible for that at all).
Dylan Nazareth: Philips, who somehow improved her numbers after Ottawa’s blue line was depleted.
Mike Murphy: Raygan Kirk’s surface-level numbers may edge out Philips’, but I have to go with Philips. Her play this season is the primary reason Ottawa is in the playoffs. A .931 Sv% and three shutouts is a standout stat line for a player looking to build on a headline-grabbing rookie season. She had an amazing year and deserves some accolades.
Geremy: Credit to Raygan Kirk on a great year. This is going to Gwenyth Philips, though. She faced one of, if not the, toughest defensive environment in the PWHL. The shot quality and shot quantity were ridiculously high yet Philips didn’t falter. She’s the main reason Ottawa made the playoffs by a mile.
Elisha Coté: Gwyneth Philips hands down, especially with what happened to Ottawa’s D core in the offseason and this being her first full season as a starter.
Emma Sullivan: It feels like a cop-out to pick the same answer as everyone above, but not picking Philips is malpractice. I’ve long considered her my favorite goalie, and this year cemented it. She’s just so aware of the puck and is fantastic at getting into the right places at the right time, even if it seems impossible for her to move that way/that quickly.
Dynamic Duo (best defense pairing)
Mike: I’ve got to go with the Fleet’s dynamic duo of Megan Keller and Haley Winn. Together, they were the league leaders in TOI (time on ice) and were as impactful with the puck as they were defending in their own zone.
Geremy: Megan Keller-Haley Winn.
Natalia Rachman: There’s one answer here and others have already given it, so I’ll at least give a shoutout to Micah Zandee-Hart and Maja Nylén Persson. They anchored a New York defense that was surprisingly effective at suppressing shots and played every single game of the season together aside from the one MZH was suspended for.
Elisha: Keller and Winn.
Triple Trouble (best forward line)
Dylan: Roque, Poulin, Stacey. Dynamite.
Geremy: Rebecca Leslie – Brianne Jenner – Sarah Wozniewicz.
Mike: I’m going to agree with Dylan. The Roque, Stacey, and Poulin trio was a nightmare for opponents before Poulin’s injury woes.
LJ Bachenheimer: I’m not unique- Roque, Poulin, and Stacey. Call it the “third wheel” line!
Natalia: Wozniewicz-Jenner-Leslie. Completely unexpected combination at the start of the season that proved to be an absolute blast to watch night in and night out.
Elisha: Wozniewicz-Jenner-Leslie! Not the line you would have expected to be producing as much as they are, either.
Emma: They’re probably not the best overall since they didn’t play the whole year together, but Eldridge-Müller-Newhook has been dynamic since they were put together. Eldridge has especially added a new level to the Fleet’s offense, and putting her alongside a talent like Müller makes magic happen. I like what they bring to the table a lot, and I think it’ll be a difference maker in the postseason, especially.
Most Underrated
Maya: Izzy Daniel. I also did not have her highly rated coming into this season. A lot of time stuck in a bottom role in Toronto lowered her stock a bit. But she’s been a huge asset to the Goldeneyes, and both the GM and coach of the Goldeneyes said she was their most improved player of the year.
Geremy: Kristýna Kaltounková. Feels like post-injury she’s only being remembered as a goal scorer which she was very good at. However, she was a massive two-way force that stabilized the top six.
Mike: I don’t think Brianne Jenner is getting nearly enough attention for her best PWHL season to date. She set new single-season personal bests in goals (12), assists (14), FO% (57.1%), blocked shots (12), and shots on goal (80). She was brilliant all season long, but ended up a little overshadowed by all of Minnesota’s high-scoring forwards and her own goaltender’s fantastic season.
Natalia: Riley Brengman finished the season with the lowest on-ice goals against rate among all qualified defenders in the league. While the best of the best are Fleet/Victoire heavy as a product of their elite goaltending, Brengman is the only Boston blueliner in the top four, and her next closest teammates are Zoe Boyd (barely unqualified due to injury) and Daniela Pejšová, both of whom had Brengman as their most common D partner. She got a down-ballot Rookie of the Year vote out of me, which is saying a lot considering the team I cover has the likes of Kaltounková, Casey O’Brien, and Maddi Wheeler on it.
Elisha: Rebecca Leslie. Tied for second in goals this season after only scoring 3 points last year in the regular season. She and Jenner have insane chemistry.
Emma: I was fortunate enough to go to a couple of Frost games this year, and each time I was really blown away by Kendall Cooper’s performance on the back end. Her 19 points have her sixth overall in scoring for Minnesota, and she’s played a LOT of minutes for the team all year. She’s definitely someone I have my eye on moving forward, especially since she’s performing this well as a rookie. Just a fantastic player who should continue to grow in this league moving forward.
Most Overrated
Geremy: Hot take, Kelly Pannek. I still think she’s a very good player, especially defensively. She shot at 27.6% this season and didn’t even hit 60 shots on goal.
Mike: I like Geremy’s take a lot, but I’ll go with another player with a suspiciously high shooting percentage – Fanuza Kadirova. I’ve always been a fan of Kadirova’s game, but I don’t think she’s going to remain a 20.2% shooter in the PWHL. With all of that said, I think she may only be slightly overrated because of her 10-goal debut season.
Natalia: Despite leading the Victoire in scoring, Abby Roque only had seven primary points at five-on-five this season, a rate comparable to teammate Kaitlin Willoughby, for perspective. Poulin and Stacey’s defensive numbers also took a hit this year, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
Most Passionate Fanbase
Maya: Tie between Goldeneyes and Torrent. The expansion teams’ fans came in, and 100% understood the assignment. No notes.
Dylan: Goldeneyes, they treated every home game like a party, despite on-ice results.
Mike: I was blown away by the way the Vancouver and Seattle communities embraced their respective PWHL teams. I have to call it a tie and give a nod to those fanbases. There was never any doubt that these franchises would have a rocky launch, but the volume of love and passion right out of the gate was really something else.
Geremy: New York Sirens fans set a US attendance record by selling out Madison Square Garden. And they have some of the most fun outfits you’ll see in a fanbase.
LJ: I’ve gotta give it to the “Wee Woo Crew.” The New York Sirens’ home crowds at Prudential Center are comparably small, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in sheer energy.
Elisha: Vancouver Goldeneyes. Despite the lackluster results in their first season, the fans in Vancouver have been some of the best in the league!
Emma: I’ll also say New York. It’s been a few frustrating seasons for the Sirens, and throughout all of it, their fans still showed up in a variety of ways both in and out of the rink. I feel like I see a lot of Sirens fans online and they’re always a passionate, engaged group of people. Plus, personally, as someone who grew up in New York, who has watched more games from MSG than I can count, and who now covers Women’s Hockey the way I’m fortunate enough to do, getting to see a sold-out Sirens game at the Garden was probably my favorite moment of the year.
Best Takeover Tour Game
Maya: Calgary. Look, I was there, I’ve gotta give it to this one. But really, I’ve been to a few takeover tour games, and this one was by far the best. Calgary turned UP for this league.
Mike: This is a tough one. I feel like we can be reasonable here and measure this by fan attendance or how memorable the games were, but that’s not fun. I’m picking Dallas. Why? Because I still can’t believe there was pro hockey in Texas.
Geremy: Going to give another vote for Dallas. Featured a Casey O’Brien hat trick and a Maddi Wheeler back-to-back penalty sequence, followed by a breakaway goal out of the penalty box.
Natalia: My usual distaste for shootouts is negated by the atmosphere of Takeover Tour games, something about the suspenseful silence rather than the alternating cheers/boos just does it for me. Halifax was treated to two shootouts this season, and I’m going to go with the first of them between Toronto and Montréal, where the latter took it after the former had a goal negated in overtime due to a penalty behind the play. Thankfully, the Sceptres didn’t find themselves in a down-to-the-wire playoff race where that point could have come in handy or anything.
Elisha: Halifax. No question.
LJ: Washington, D.C. Yes, it just so happens to be the one I went to, but a close game rounded out with a line brawl? Perfect way to excite new fans.
Best Dressed
Maya: Mariah Keopple. No contest.
Geremy: My wife says I have to pick Sarah Nurse.
Mike: I still don’t really know how to dress myself, but let’s go with Keopple and Mikyla Grant-Mentis.
LJ: I agree with Mike and also add Lexie Adzija. The Torrent are easily the best dressed team!
Natalia: I don’t really go here, so I’ll just take the low-hanging salad joke and say Aerin Frankel.
Elisha: Gwyneth Philips.
Most Improved
Dylan: Hayley Scamurra has been so impressive this season. From three points last year to eight goals and 16 points this season with the Victoire.
Geremy: Danielle Serdachny. She really struggled last season with Ottawa. This season, she went from three primary points to 14 primary points while making her line a positive impact at even strength. Seattle didn’t finish last because of her.
Mike: Serdachny. It was a delight watching her look more confident as a puck-carrier in Seattle. The change of scenery definitely helped.
Natalia: Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been beating this drum since before the end of last season, and you better believe I’m going to take my victory lap here. Mae Batherson of the Minnesota Frost had an outstanding sophomore year on a team that desperately needed it after losing much of its defensive identity in the offseason.
Social Media Darling
Maya: Emma Maltais. Between the Olympics’ name pronunciation sound and her own TikTok videos, she’s my favourite watch, hands down. Honourable mention: Hannah Miller on the Goldeneyes videos.
Dylan: Maltais by a mile <3
Michelle Jay: Emma Maltais? Emma Maltais.
Mike: Carly Jackson. They are such an invaluable ambassador of the sport and frequently use their platform to make fans feel represented and welcome in this space. The connection Jackson has to the community is something truly special.
Natalia: Lyndie Lobdell for this alone.
LJ: Aerin Frankel. Everyone discovering her Caesar salad review account during the Olympics was a great time on the internet.
Elisha: “Gorge with Gwyn” is so fun to watch, so I have to go with Gwyneth Philips.
Emma: I’m going to agree with Elisha and give a special shoutout to Taylor House as well. She’s been along for “Gorge with Gwyn” for almost all of the episodes, and I love getting her reviews, too.