Each team in the PWHL has roughly 10 games remaining in the 2024-25 season. If the league handed out Team MVP awards, here's who might take the honor for each team.
Without Aerin Frankel's calm and consistent presence in Boston's net, things could be bad for the Boston Fleet. Frankel will go head-to-head with Montreal's Ann-Renee Desbiens when it comes to Goaltender of the Year honors, and the edge goes to Frankel. Boston has allowed the second least goals in the league, and Frankel kept them in games when their scoring struggled. Hilary Knight also deserves recognition for the season she's having.
This is difficult. Truly, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, or Claire Thompson could also take this nod, but the edge goes to Sophie Jaques, despite the fact she's missed a handful of games. Jaques is leading the Frost in points per game at 0.93 and she's been a catalyst to their offense, and made many key defensive plays. Minnesota's goaltending has struggled mightily, so it's all about pushing the puck up ice and keeping it away from their net, and Jaques has been at the center of those efforts.
For as good as Ann-Renee Desbiens has been this season, Montreal has relied about clutch scoring, and Captain Clutch is at the centre of that. She leads the PWHL in goals and when Montreal has needed a big goal in a big game, Poulin is there. Even when she doesn't convert, teams still pay deference to Poulin which has opened up Laura Stacey, Jennifer Gardiner, Abby Boreen and the rest of Montreal's attack.
Sarah Fillier has grabbed the headlines, but when Alex Carpenter left New York's lineup with injury, it derailed their season completely. Without Carpenter, New York's attach looks unthreatening. She adds speed, scoring, and playmaking abilities at are All-World. There's no player who has made the night in, night out impact in New York this season like Alex Carpenter.
If this were the midway mark of the season, Emerance Maschmeyer would be the clear MVP, but moving toward the final stretch, Emily Clark has become a beacon of hope for Ottawa. She's picked up her offensive output to match her expected defensive abilities and if Ottawa makes the playoffs, it will be on the back of Clark. This team's stars have been dull this season, so it's no surprise a two-way player like Clark has been the steadying force.
Surviving the absence of Natalie Spooner and her re-integration to the roster, coupled with a midseason injury to Sarah Nurse, the value of Hannah Miller's offensive contributions cannot be overlooked. At the two-thirds point in the season, Miller remained the PWHL's leading scorer. Daryl Watts is a close runner-up in Toronto. The pair have kept the engine warm and waiting.