NEW YORK AND TORONTO– The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced that Sarah Fillier of the New York Sirens, Hilary Knight of the Boston Fleet, and Marie-Philip Poulin of the Montréal Victoire have been voted as the three finalists for the 2025 PWHL Forward of the Year award.
The PWHL Forward of the Year award is presented to the forward who showcases the most outstanding ability at the position throughout the regular season.
SARAH FILLIER, NEW YORK SIRENS
Fillier made an immediate impact with the Sirens after being selected first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft, tying Knight for the league lead with 29 points in 30 games. Her 16 assists shared the league lead and were most by a forward, including 12 at even strength, while her 13 goals ranked fourth on the scoring chart and included a league-leading five on the power play. She is the only player in PWHL history to score in five consecutive games, a streak produced from Feb. 23 to Mar. 16, contributing to one of her two six-game point streaks. The 24-year-old from Georgetown, ON, is also the only player to record multiple four-game assist streaks all-time. Fillier averaged 2.95 points and 1.63 assists per 60 minutes in her first professional season, ranking first and second in the league, respectively (minimum 100 minutes played).
HILARY KNIGHT, BOSTON FLEET
Knight showed the largest offensive improvement from the PWHL’s inaugural season, going from 11 points in 24 games to 29 points in 30 games, standing alongside Fillier atop the overall leaderboard. The Fleet captain’s 15 goals included four on the power play, good for a second-place tie in both categories, while her 14 assists tied for sixth and included 10 primary helpers which tied for second across the league. She tied for third in the league with seven multi-point performances and tied for second with three multi-goal games. The most memorable of which was on Mar. 5 when the 35-year-old from Sun Valley, ID, became the first player in PWHL history to score a hat-trick as part of a record-tying four-point game. Knight led all forwards in time on ice at 666:26 and finished second overall with 111 shots – one behind the leader.
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
Poulin becomes the first two-time finalist for the award, following a campaign where she led the PWHL in goals with 19, and added seven assists to finish fourth in points with 26 in 30 games. The Victoire captain’s scoring prowess was evident across a league-high five multi-goal games, including one hat-trick, and featured a record six game-winning goals. Of her 19 goals, 15 were produced at even strength with three on the power play and one shorthanded. The 34-year-old from Beauceville, QC, set a PWHL record for the fastest goal scored just 11 seconds into action on May 3, and her 10 goals in the second period were the most goals scored in any single period by any player this season. Poulin set new standards with a record plus-minus rating (+17), most shootout goals (5), and in the faceoff circle in both attempts (669) and wins (403).
A selection committee cast their votes for six regular-season PWHL awards, including Forward of the Year, along with the league’s First and Second All-Star Teams and an All-Rookie Team, between the conclusion of regular season and the commencement of playoffs. The three players that received the most voting points for Forward of the Year have been named finalists. Winners of all PWHL Awards will be announced on June 25 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Ottawa.
Last season, Toronto’s Natalie Spooner was the inaugural recipient of the Forward of the Year award, voted over finalists Poulin and New York’s Alex Carpenter.
