Poulin, Fillier, Knight named 2025 PWHL Forward of the Year Finalists
The Professional Women’s Hockey League announced Tuesday that the New York Sirens’ Sarah Fillier, Montreal Victoire’s Marie-Philip Poulin and the Boston Fleet’s Hillary Knight have been nominated as finalists for the league’s 2024-25 Forward of the Year Award.
While Poulin won the league’s Top Goalscorer Award, and Fillier and Knight shared the Points Leader Award, the Forward of the Year Award honors the most outstanding player through the regular season.
Poulin is the only player among the three to be a repeat finalist, having finished behind Toronto Sceptres forward Natalie Spooner for the award last season. This year, the 34-year-old Canadian icon led the PWHL with 19 goals and 26 points in 30 games, good for fourth in the scoring charts.
Her five multi-goal games helped the Victoire top the regular season and she scored 15 of her 19 goals at even strength, three on the power play, and one shorthanded. Among her 19 goals was the fastest in league history, scoring 11 seconds into a May 3 game against the Sirens.
CAPTAIN (SPEEDY) CLUTCH! 🏃♀️💨
Yesterday, Marie-Philip Poulin of @PWHL_Montreal scored the fastest goal in PWHL history with an 11-second rocket! Adding another goal, she solidified the Top Goal Scorer Award this 2024-25 PWHL regular season. pic.twitter.com/APPIVGbgIV
Knight, meanwhile, had a bounceback season in 2024-25, despite missing the Walter Cup Playoffs. She improved from 11 points in 24 games in 2024, to scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 30 games in 2024-25,
The Fleet’s 35-year-old captain finished the season having played the most minutes of any forward, clocking 666:26 of ice time.
As Poulin and Knight come towards the twilight of their careers, Fillier stood out in her rookie season with the Sirens, after they selected her first overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft.
The former Princeton University standout scored 16 assists and 29 points to lead the league in both categories, while her 13 goals ranked fourth on the scoring charts. Among her tally were five power play goals, the most of any PWHL player.
Fillier, 24, became the only player in PWHL history to score in five straight games and had two six-game point streaks throughout the season.
The award winner has already been selected. At the end of the regular season, a selection committee casts its votes for the Forward of the Year, First and Second All-Star Teams, and All-Rookie Team. The three highest totals are announced ahead of the June 25 awards ceremony in Ottawa.