Rookie Watch: Which Forward Will Top The First Year Scoring Race?

There will certainly be excitement in the PWHL's 2026 Rookie of the Year race. Whether it's Caroline Harvey or Laila Edwards on the back end, or Abbey Murphy and Tessa Janecke up front, there is a distinct star power coming into the league among first year players. 

Some believe scoring will dip this season in the PWHL, but with thinned out bluelines and goaltending depth, and the opportunity for more skill mismatches up and down lineups, it could also go the other way. The jump to the professional level won't be as drastic for most this season, but it will also come on some teams that were stripped of talent like Toronto, and in expansion cities like Las Vegas and San Jose, without the insulation of veterans surrounding their young players. It will create a sink or swim situation for some, but will also give them a clear path to claiming their spot in top six roles immediately. 

While it seems logical that it will be a forward leading the way in the PWHL's rookie scoring race, this talented group will also feature a push from top picks Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards.

Here's a look at the top forwards to watch in the PWHL's 2026-27 rookie class.

She's going to make some friends, she's going to make some enemies. No matter what side of that people land, Abbey Murphy is also going to make the Seattle Torrent a decidedly better and more difficult team to face. She pushes the pace every shift, agitates, and creates opportunity. She had 40 goals in 31 games for Minnesota this season, and seven in seven games at the Olympics. Alongside a player like Alex Carpenter, Murphy could score at a pace few rookies have to date. PWHL players who haven't faced Murphy in the NCAA or internationally don't know what they're in for. 

Not only will Murphy, who won Olympic gold make her mark up front, but she'll be joined by fellow Olympic gold medalists Tessa Janecke (3rd overall, Las Vegas) and Kirsten Simms (8th overall, Toronto), and Lacey Eden (5th overall, Las Vegas) who has represented USA at the World Championships. It's also likely that Laila Edwards will take some reps at forward despite being converted to a defender by her national program. Edwards won World Championship MVP honors and became one of the most feared shooters in the game as a forward prior to the conversion.

Janecke and Eden will be in a unique position in Las Vegas where the young duo will likely form two-thirds of a top line together. They will get every opportunity to be Las Vegas' top tandem with Janecke slotted in as the team's number one center. Simms will have an offensive load on her shoulders as well entering as Toronto's most skilled forward after their offensive lineup was gutted in expansion and free agency, and with captain Blayre Turnbull out to care for her first child. 

Petra Nieminen (Montreal Victoire) isn't technically a rookie, but she's a first year player who could put up good numbers surrounded by the veteran talent Montreal amassed this offseason. She's a physical presence who has been Europe's top scoring forward in recent years. She'll be joined in the league by Finnish Olympic teammates Elisa Holopainen (New York Sirens) and Viivi Vainikka (Minnesota Frost). Both are entering favourable opportunities. Holopainen has the chance to find a spot alongside players like Sarah Fillier, Casey O'Brien, and Kristyna Kaltounkova on a Sirens roster that is young, skilled, and plays with pace. Vainikka may turn out to be one of the PWHL's bigger surprises as she'll step alongside Minnesota's top players attempting to ill a whole left by either Britta Curl-Salemme or Kendall Coyne Schofield.

Issy Wunder (Las Vegas) was the third young star selected by Vegas alongside Janecke and Eden, and she'll spend the entire season in the top six. The big former Princeton star has the tools to be a power forward in this league. She'll have to do it against seasoned pros instead of college defenders this season which will likely come with some adaptation, but Wunder will be a longterm contributor in this league. 

There are many other rookie forwards entering the league who will look to make an immediate offensive contribution including Sloan Matthews (San Jose), Thea Johansson (Vancouver), Jordan Ray (Ottawa), Jade Iginla (Hamilton), Elyssa Biederman (Hamilton), Josefin Bouveng (Las Vegas), Emerson Jarvis (Seattle), Carina DiAntonio (New York), and others.