The PWHL's Rookie of the Year race looked for a long time like a one-horse race, but recently, the field has been heating up.
The PWHL's first two Rookie of the Year recipients, Grace Zumwinkle and Sarah Fillier, both sit in the top 10 in league scoring this season.
They'll soon be joined by a new honoreee for the award. While Boston's Haley Winn remains the favorite for the award, it's a lot closer than it once was as another name, New York's Casey O'Brien, has entered the race.
First overall pick Kristyna Kaltounkova once looked like a contender, but since missing significant time on long term injured reserve, she's now out of the race. The only other contenders in the mix are defenders Kendall Cooper (Minnesota Frost) and Nicole Gosling (Montreal Victoire), who both have had spectacular seasons playing top four minutes.
The race however, remains between Winn and O'Brien.
Winn Does It All In Boston
The Boston Fleet have won as a team this season receiving contributions from up and down their lineup, but were it not for their stars, a group including rookie blueliner Haley Winn, the Fleet would not be the contender they are.
Winn has played nearly 27 minutes per game, sitting nearly tied atop the league leaderboard for ice time with her defence partner and Fleet captain Megan Keller. The duo have formed the best pairing in the PWHL this season on both sides of the puck. Winn's 17 points, tied with Kendall Cooper, are already the most by a rookie defender in the league's three-season history.
While Rookie of the Year honors typically favor forwards, Winn's contributions in her own zone, and on the attack have helped propel the Fleet to the top of the league.
O'Brien Getting Better By The Day
Casey O'Brien sits tied for fourth in PWHL scoring, including with the league's previous two Rookie of the Year winners in Fillier and Zumwinkle. Since the Olympic break, which saw O'Brien omitted from Team USA, she's been one of the PWHL's best forwards, not just among rookies.
In fact, if you erased O'Brien's slow start, one that saw her record only a single assist in her first six games, she's been on a more than point-per-game pace since. Since the Olympics, O'Brien has 10 points in nine games.
Shifting to the team's top centre spot with Kaltounkova out of the lineup, O'Brien has stepped up her game offensively. She's also been noticeable in her puck pursuit, forecheck, and in her ability to take away sticks and lanes in her own zone.
Who Will Be Rookie of the Year?
Right now, the only names in contention are Winn, O'Brien, Cooper, and Gosling. It seems almost improbable that Winn and O'Brien aren't the duo fighting it out for top spot, with either Cooper or Gosling rounding out the finalists.
While the edge still leans toward Winn, the gap has closed significantly as O'Brien has stepped up her play as she's acclimatized to the PWHL level.