Spooner, Poulin, Carpenter named PWHL Forward of the Year finalists

Three of the best offensive weapons in the game have a chance to win some hardware.

On Thursday, the PWHL announced that Natalie Spooner (Toronto), Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal) and Alex Carpenter have been named finalists for Forward of the Year.

Carpenter might have played on the New York team that ended up at the bottom of the league standings, but that did not take away from her incredible season. The U.S. National Team mainstay came flying out of the gate, scoring eight goals and 14 points in the first 11 games of the season. While she did not score at the same clip in the second half of the year, Carpenter was a constant presence in New York’s attack, scoring 23 points in 24 games, tied for second in the league in scoring.

The player she was tied with is arguably one of the best hockey players in the world today. It took Poulin a little bit of time to get going in the inaugural season, but once the switch flipped on, there was no one better. Captain Canada had the incredible ability to take over games by herself, with her impact being noticeably absent when she missed three games in March due to a lower-body injury. Poulin potted a hat trick on Jan. 10 against New York, and finished with 10 goals and 13 assists in 21 games.

Spooner has already taken home hardware this season, earning Top Goal Scorer and Points Leader honors after a sensational regular season. The 33-year-old was the only player to score 20 goals this year, posting six multi-goal games, including a hat trick against Boston on Feb. 14. Playing on a line with Emma Maltais and Sarah Nurse for much of the season, Spooner was the most efficient scorer in the PWHL, registering 27 points in 24 games. She and Poulin were the only two to have averaged over a point per game.

Winners of the PWHL Awards will be announced in June.

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