Emma Maltais Emerges As PWHL's Leading Candidate For Rookie of the Year

Emma Maltais leads all PWHL rookies in scoring, but her impact goes far beyond the stat line with PWHL Toronto this season.

When the inaugural PWHL season opened, much of the conversation around the league's Rookie of the Year mentioned primarily Taylor Heise and Alina Muller. As the opening weeks of the season got underway, a hot start by Grace Zumwinkle thrust her into the conversation, and Ashton Bell earned high praise playing top pairing minutes in Ottawa.

As the season progressed however, a new front runner emerged as the leading candidate to be named the PWHL's Rookie of the Year. That player, is PWHL Toronto's Emma Maltais.

Natalie Spooner, Sarah Nurse, and the defensive pairing of Renata Fast and Jocelyne Larocque have stolen many of the headlines for PWHL Toronto's inaugural season where they clinched first overall in the regular season. But when games are tight or the team needs a boost, Emma Maltais will receive a tap on the shoulder.

At the 2024 World Championships, she played a similar role for Canada. Facing a youthful and quick American team, Maltais was one of the few Canadians consistently able to disrupt USA's attack, and to turn the tides back in favor of her team.

It's the same in Toronto, Maltais is a momentum changer, and a threat to pounce on a puck, force a turnover, and reverse course on a shift, period or game.

If Natalie Spooner was the engine that drove Toronto this season, Emma Maltais is the fuel. 

The 24-year-old sits tied for fifth in the PWHL in scoring with 19 points through 23 games and leads all rookies in scoring. Next on the list for rookies are Grace Zumwinkle (17), Maureen Murphy (16), Alina Muller (15) and Taylor Heise (13), as the only first year pros sitting in the top 20 in league scoring.

Where Maltais sets herself apart from this group however, is in her three zone impact. She's one of the top penalty killers in the league, and is the only player in the league with more than one shorthanded goal this season. She is tenacious in pursuit, and one of the better players in the league when it comes to possession and controlled zone entries.

Often rookie of the year awards are handed out to the top scoring first year player, which Maltais also holds. But if you are to look deeper, at the shift by shift, play by play impact, Maltais sits miles ahead of her peers. 

It's the finer details Maltais gets right. Often, these are the less appreciated details. Perhaps that appreciation will come soon with Emma Maltais being named the PWHL's Rookie of the Year.