PWHL Awards clock: Our tips for Billie Jean King MVP, rookie of the year, more

With the 2-1 victory of Montreal against Minnesota on Tuesday evening, we are now officially in the last third of the 2024-25 PWHL season.

That means there are only 10 games left -nine for the Toronto Sceptres and Minnesota Frost -so that teams were pushing for position in the league classification, and the players who are committed to the PWHL's largest awards.

Some award races are probably already sealed -Sarah Fillier was the best rookie since her PWHL debut on December 1, 2024 -but others were able to go into the wire, with great performance in the seasonal member.

Before we watch the Playoff race or won the number 1 in the PWHL design of 2025, it felt like a good time to make some options.

These are not necessarily predictions – although we last time we did our picks when we did this – but rather personal tips based on the first 61 games of the season.

Let's start.

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Billie Jean King MVP

Top three: Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota), Alex Carpenter (New York)

The winner: Marie-Philip Poulin

The case for Poulin is pretty simple. She is (still) the best player in the world and the top offensive players in the best team in the league.

Nobody in the PWHL has more destinations than Poulin (12), and the Victoire are 8: 0 if it finds the back of the network. Poulin has scored five games this season–Ni, even in the league, even has three and three additional winners in the shootout.

Coyne Schofield makes a strong case in view of her production this season. All eight of her goals were five against five, what Poulin would bind if we took out your power game (2) and empty net goals (2). And only one of Coyne Schofield's 18 points came up with the power game. This is compared to other potential MVP candidates such as Hannah Miller (12 power play points) or Renata Fast (11).

The last finalist was tough with several well -deserved players, including Miller, who leads in the league in the class (22). But Carpenter is difficult to ignore.

She had 12 points in the first 12 games of the PWHL season and was the center for the best line of the league with Fillier. On January 31, she was injured in the middle of the game, which started a defeat of eight games for the sirens. The team was exceeded with Carpenter from the line -up with 16: 4, which also has to do with some goalkeeper fights in New York. But the team was more competitive with Carpenter and has had two goals and three points in three games since their return.

All of this said Poulin is a Slam-Dunk MVP election for me.

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Preliminary run of the year

Top three: Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota), Sarah Fillier (New York)

The winner: Marie-Philip Poulin

As in the past year, I go with the same vote for the lead of the year and for MVP. If there was a case for one of the other strikers too Top Poulin, she shouldn't be the MVP. At least that's how I see the two awards.

And to be clear, I like that there is MVP and striker of the year, as it may make a defender or goalkeeper possible to win MVP, and a top forward to bring your flowers to another category.

The only difference would be because she would have been exchanged for carpenters due to her production in New York. Filliers 21 points are the second in the league behind Miller and her seven goals in the top 10.

Someone who could sneak into the top three by the end of the season: Daryl Watts. She has 12 points in her last 10 games and was a critical playtriver in Toronto, which is in the middle of her annual increase in the overall ranking.

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Defender of the Year

Top three: Erin Ambrose (Montreal), Renata Fast (Toronto), Sophie Jaques (Minnesota)

The winner: Renata Schnell

There is a legitimate case for Erin Ambrose to win a back-to-back defender of the year. This season she probably plays a better defense than last and was only on the ice for four goals for the same strength.

But Renata Fast currently has the edge. She heads all defenders this season and was of crucial importance in Torontos Turnaround. During the nine game strips of the Sceptres, three goals and nine points quickly scored, including two players. Over this route she was only eating top competition events for three equal goals on the ice against the hit obstacle.

Much of her production has come to the power play, but it is one of the reasons why Toronto is no longer in the basement of the overall ranking. It is not a bad thing to be the quarterback for the best power game in the league.

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Goalkeeper of the year

Top three: Ann-Renée Desbia (Montreal), Aerin Frankel (Boston), Raygan Kirk (Toronto)

The winner: Ann-Renée Desbia

The race between Desbia and Frankel is so close that a good game from Desbia was sufficient to string back my ballot in their favor. I have changed my opinion here many times, people.

But on Tuesday evening against Minnesota with 40 parades plus five more were in one shootout for a clinical 2: 1 victory.

In addition, the statistics would point out that desbia – with the most victories (12), the top goals against the average (1.70) and the percentage (0.938) – are the best goalkeeper of the league.

Frankel is not too far back with ten wins, a percentage of 0.931 and 1.95 GAA. And to my original thoughts before the game on Tuesday, Frankel Boston's MVP, which could give her an advantage in a race of a goalkeeper of the year.

But desbia, which has now gone in a row, begins without two goals to allow more than two goals – it will be difficult to deny.

At the moment, Frankel and Desbia are not particularly close to any other goalkeepers in the league, which made the finalists a little difficult. Maddie Rooney was one of the best in the league before her game started sinking in January. Nobody is more shots than Emerance Maschmeyer, but at that time nobody gave up goals.

At the moment I will give Raygan Kirk the third slot who did well for Toronto while Kristen Campbell sorted her game. Perhaps Campbell, last year's winner, will make a comeback and steal the place. Rooney also looks as if she was reconciled in the form in the last three starts and could easily get back into the conversation.

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Beginner of the year

Top three: Sarah Fillier (New York), Jennifer Gardiner (Montreal), Cayla Barnes (Montreal)

The winner: Sarah Fillier

Apart from MVP, this is probably the simplest award to distribute it. Fillier leads all newcomers in the gates (7), the templates (14) and the points (21). She is one of the most talented players in the PWHL with elite vision, shot and the ability to beat defender one to one. At the beginning of the season, her chemistry with Carpenter looked as if it were sufficient to transform New York into a real contender, but the team has been struggling in the past few weeks and is currently (again).

Nevertheless, the Fillier should not stop the rookie of the year, an award that was routinely awarded to the players for the reconstruction (or just bad) teams in the NHL. If the team were good, they would probably not be designed in total first.

In another design class there is probably a conversation about Gardiner and Barnes, two rookies in Montreal that contribute to the top team of the league. Gardiner found a simple chemistry in the top line with Poulin and Barnes -Leads all newcomers – and all skaters in Montreal.

But Fillier is by far the best rookie in the league and even one of the top strikers.

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Trainer of the year

Top 3: Kori Cheverie (Montreal), Troy Ryan (Toronto), Ken Klee (Minnesota)

The winner: Cori Cheverie

Last year Ryan won coach of the year after led Toronto to the best record of the regular season. This year it appears with a decent lead with a decent lead with Montreal to project Cheverie to win.

Yes, Montreal has one of the best players in every position, but the team also plays a stingy defensive game and is good for keeping teams on the outside of the ice. The team – thanks to GM Danièle Sauvageau – has more depth this season and Cheverie used it well. Every regular skater has at least one point this season, and only five have scored a goal. If the bikes do not drop in Montreal, Cheverie is the easy choice.

(Topto by Sarah Fillier: David Berding / Getty Images)