The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) presents numerous awards to individual players and personnel at the end of each season, including those recognizing the most valuable players, and the season's best forward, defender, goaltender, rookie, and coach. The recipients of these awards are chosen by a "selection committee with a cross-section of representatives including national and local media, former players, the Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association, and team personnel."[1] Awards honoring the season's top points and goal scorers are also respectively presented by the league.
Key
| Color/symbol | Explanation |
|---|---|
| † | Selected for an All-Star Showcase |
| ‡ | Selected for an All-Star Team |
| § | PWHL Finals runner-up |
Billie Jean King Most Valuable Player
The Billie Jean King Most Valuable Player award honors the most valuable player in the overall season, and was named after PWHL Advisory Board member Billie Jean King.[1]
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Natalie Spooner‡ | Forward |  Canada | PWHL Toronto | [2] |
| 2024–25 | Marie-Philip Poulin‡ | Forward | Canada | Montreal Victoire | [3] |
| 2025–26 | Aerin Frankel‡ | Goaltender |  United States | Boston Fleet | [4] |
Ilana Kloss Playoff Most Valuable Player
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The Ilana Kloss Playoff Most Valuable Player award honors the most valuable player in the postseason PWHL Playoffs tournament, and was named after PWHL Advisory Board member Ilana Kloss.[1]
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Taylor Heise† | Forward | United States | PWHL Minnesota | [5] |
| 2024–25 | Gwyneth Philips§ | Goaltender | United States | Ottawa Charge | [6] |
| 2025–26 | Marie-Philip Poulin | Forward | Canada |
Montreal Victoire | [7] |
Forward of the Year
The PWHL Forward of the Year award honors the best forward of the season.
| Season | Player | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Natalie Spooner‡ | Canada | PWHL Toronto | [8] |
| 2024–25 | Marie-Philip Poulin‡ | Canada | Montreal Victoire | [9] |
| 2025–26 | Kelly Pannek‡ | United States | Minnesota Frost | [4] |
Defender of the Year
The PWHL Defender of the Year award honors the best defender of the season.
| Season | Player | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Erin Ambrose‡ | Canada |
PWHL Montreal | [10] |
| 2024–25 | Renata Fast‡ | Canada |
Toronto Sceptres | [11] |
| 2025–26 | Megan Keller‡ | United States | Boston Fleet | [4] |
Goaltender of the Year
The PWHL Goaltender of the Year award honors the best goaltender of the season.
| Season | Player | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kristen Campbell‡ | Canada |
PWHL Toronto | [12] |
| 2024–25 | Ann-Renée Desbiens‡ | Canada |
Montreal Victoire | [11] |
| 2025–26 | Aerin Frankel‡ | United States | Boston Fleet | [4] |
Rookie of the Year
The PWHL Rookie of the Year award honors the best rookie of the season.
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Grace Zumwinkle‡ | Forward | United States |
PWHL Minnesota | [13] |
| 2024–25 | Sarah Fillier‡ | Forward | Canada |
New York Sirens | [11] |
| 2025–26 | Haley Winn‡ | Defender | United States | Boston Fleet | [4] |
Coach of the Year
The PWHL Coach of the Year award honors the best head coach of the season.
| Season | Player | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Troy Ryan | Canada |
PWHL Toronto | [14] |
| 2024–25 | Kori Cheverie | Canada |
Montreal Victoire | [11] |
| 2025–26 | Kris Sparre | Canada | Boston Fleet | [4] |
Points Leader Award
The PWHL Points Leader Award is presented to the player with the season's most points.
| Season | Player | Nationality | Team | P | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Natalie Spooner‡ | Canada |
PWHL Toronto | 27 | [15] |
| 2024–25 | Hilary Knight | United States |
Boston Fleet | 29 | [16] |
| Sarah Fillier | Canada |
New York Sirens | |||
| 2025–26 | Kelly Pannek | United States |
Minnesota Frost | 33 | [17] |
Top Goal Scorer Award
The PWHL Top Goal Scorer Award is presented to the player who scored the season's most goals.
| Season | Player | Nationality | Team | G | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Natalie Spooner‡ | Canada |
PWHL Toronto | 20 | [18] |
| 2024–25 | Marie-Philip Poulin‡ | Canada |
Montreal Victoire | 19 | [16] |
| 2025–26 | Kelly Pannek | United States |
Minnesota Frost | 16 | [19] |
Hockey for All Award
The PWHL Hockey for All Award presented by Scotiabank, is awarded to the player who made the greatest impact in their community during the regular season. Scotiabank will donate $10,000 to a Canadian charity of the winner's choice, that supports youth or grassroots hockey, with a focus on accessibility, diversity, and inclusion.[20]
| Season | Player | Nationality | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Maureen Murphy | United States |
PWHL Montreal | [20] |
| 2024–25 | Laura Stacey | Canada |
Montreal Victoire | [20] |
| 2025–26 | Rebecca Leslie‡ | Canada | Ottawa Charge | [4] |
Intact Impact Award
The PWHL Intact Impact Award honors players who consistently displayed exceptional leadership, integrity, and commitment. In recognition of their impact, Intact Insurance will donate $20,000 to a charity that supports youth development.[20]
See also
References
Notes
Citations
- Kennedy, Ian (April 25, 2024). "PWHL Announces 10 Awards Including Billie Jean King MVP Award". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- Kennedy, Ian (June 11, 2024). "PWHL Hands Out Year End Awards, Spooner Named MVP". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024.
- "Marie-Philip Poulin wins PWHL's MVP award". The Gazette. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- "PWHL Announces 2026 Award Winners". thepwhl.com. June 16, 2026.
- Kennedy, Ian (May 29, 2024). "Taylor Heise Named Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP". The Hockey News.
- "Charge's Philips wins Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award". TSN.ca. May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- "Marie-Philip Poulin wins 2026 PWHL Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award". thepwhl.com. May 20, 2026.
- "Toronto forward Natalie Spooner wins PWHL's MVP award". ESPN.com. June 11, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- Salvian, Hailey (June 25, 2025). "Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin wins PWHL MVP, Forward of the Year". The Athletic. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- "Montreal's Erin Ambrose named PWHL defensive player of the year". The Gazette. June 11, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- "PWHL Announces 2025 Award Winners". thepwhl.com. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- Schlossman, Brad Elliott; Wolf, Sydney (June 12, 2024). "Former UND netminder Kristen Campbell named PWHL Goalie of the Year". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- "Former Gophers star Grace Zumwinkle named PWHL rookie of the year". Star Tribune. June 11, 2024. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- "Spryfield's Troy Ryan named PWHL coach of the year". PNI Atlantic News. June 14, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- "Top Points Scorers". ThePWHL.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024.
- "Hillary Knight, Sarah Fillier, and Marie-Philip Poulin Earn First Two PWHL Awards of the 2024-25 season". thepwhl.com. May 3, 2025. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- "Kelly Pannek Captures 2025–26 PWHL Points Leader, Top Goal Scorer Awards". thepwhl.com. April 26, 2026.
- Crowther, Hunter (May 5, 2024). "PWHL Toronto's Natalie Spooner finishes as league's Top Goal Scorer, Points Leader". dailyfaceoff.com.
- "Kelly Pannek Captures 2025–26 PWHL Points Leader, Top Goal Scorer Awards". thepwhl.com. April 26, 2026.
- "PWHL Awards". Retrieved June 12, 2026.