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National Post
06-07-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Laura Stacey's annual charity road hockey tournament brings much-needed smiles
It's been a tough summer for the player's side of the PWHL but there were only smiles at an event Saturday afternoon that included the best of the best from the league that took over a small chunk of Etobicoke. Article content It was Laura Stacey's annual LS7 Sticks In For Charity ball hockey tournament and it brought out the who's who in the PWHL from Stacey to last year's MVP Marie-Philip Poulin to last year's Rookie of the Year Sarah Fillier and last year's defender of the year Renata Fast to name just a few who took part in the tournament. Article content Article content For the first time, Stacey, her friends and family didn't have to organize this all on their own with her LS7 charity gaining national standing, and with it a year-round foundation that took over some of the planning duties. Article content But it was still very much a Stacey family and neighbourhood event with four rinks closing off a handful of suburban roads in Etobicoke just south of Dundas St. Article content Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Laura Stacey (@laurastacey7) Article content It was the sixth annual tournament for Stacey and her family, and for the second year in a row surpassed the $50,000 goal that goes to support youth access to sport. Article content Later this summer Stacey and her foundation will host her first Montreal tournament and hopes to match what they raised Saturday in Toronto. Article content Saturday's all-day tournament was won by a team captained by former Toronto Sceptres goalie Erica Howe over a Fillier-led squad. Article content Fillier, who played goal in the tournament as did most of the PWHL celebs taking part, showed plenty of skill in the net but was the victim of a bad bounce off the end boards that allowed the Howe-led green team to prevail in overtime in the championship game. Article content Howe, who has been a participant all six years the tournament has existed, still marvels six years in at the support her good friend Stacey receives from the Etobicoke neighbourhood where she grew up and her family still resides. Article content 'Every year coming here you just feel the impact it has on this community,' Howe said. 'As soon as you walk in, I mean it's not a big thing. It's just neighbours playing road hockey, and raising money for sport. But both community and sport have been huge in my life, especially the past year, so you feel it. It's genuine and wholesome and I just love it here.' Article content Article content Howie, as she is affectionately known by teammates and friends, saw that support this past year in her battle with cancer as both the hockey community and her work community within the firefighting profession rallied to keep her spirits up and her outlook positive as she went through chemotherapy. Article content For Stacey, the day is a labour of love and togetherness as all the people in her life rally to make her tournament the roaring success is has become. Article content But Stacey also saw the lift a get-together like this can be for her teammates and league mates who may have struggled these past couple of months watching as their teams were somewhat dismantled in order to bring two expansion teams right up to speed. Article content 'There's a lot of emotions, right,' Stacey said of the expansion process. 'People are on teams that they love but now they are going to different teams. We are losing teammates. It's all those emotions, but I think at the end of the day all of us, even here, you just zoom out a little and remind yourself we're playing professionally now. There's not really much to complain about. Yes, maybe we are moving far and yes, maybe our friends are leaving and going to different cities, but at the end of the day Seattle and Vancouver are phenomenal cities and those women's sports markets are going to thrive and so many new girls are going to get the opportunity to watch pros play which is a great perspective to have.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin wins PWHL MVP, Forward of the Year
OTTAWA — Montreal Victoire forward Marie-Philip Poulin was named MVP of the 2024-25 PWHL season Wednesday afternoon, finishing ahead of former Boston captain Hilary Knight and Toronto's No. 1 defender Renata Fast. The Victoire captain was the favorite to win the award — named the Billie Jean King MVP — after she led the league in goals (19) and finished fourth in points (26), just three off the lead. Poulin was critical to Montreal's success in the regular season, when she scored 26 percent of the team's goals and factored into 34 percent. She never went more than two games without a point this season, and no player scored more game-winning goals (six), first goals (five) or insurance goals (three) to put a game out of reach than Poulin. Advertisement Poulin said it was an honor and a privilege to win MVP and to have the award announced by Billie Jean King. But, she's also never been one for individual milestones. 'This just makes me want to go back to work,' she said. 'I want to get better. I want to keep improving because I know it's a big year this year.' She also won Forward of the Year, beating out Knight and New York rookie Sarah Fillier, who finished tied with the most points in the league's regular season (29). Montreal coach Kori Cheverie said 2024-25 was one of the best seasons she's seen from Poulin. 'She's been the leader of our team, the heartbeat of our team, the workhorse. Everything you could want in a captain, she embodies it,' Cheverie said. 'I'm just so happy for her. I know she's a competitor, and I know that there's a couple of team championships that she would have liked to have this year. But the individual accolades are certainly remarkable.' Advertisement Poulin was a runner-up for last year's MVP, which went to Toronto forward Natalie Spooner after a dominant inaugural season. She's the only two-time finalist for the award in the PWHL's two-year history. Now, Poulin adds an MVP award to a trophy case that already includes three Olympic gold medals, four world championships, multiple MVP and scoring awards during her time in the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League and a Canadian Athlete of the Year award, among many other accolades over a career destined for Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinement. Poulin already won the league's goal title after the regular season. And Ottawa goalie Gwyneth Philips won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP after she led the Charge to the Finals and had an unbelievable .952 save percentage over the postseason. The PWHL announced the winners of four other major awards at a ceremony Wednesday afternoon. Here are the results and the finalists. Advertisement Rookie of the Year: Sarah Fillier (New York) Fillier, 25, was one of the best forwards in the league this season after being selected first in the 2024 PWHL Draft. She finished her rookie season tied for the league lead in scoring. Her 16 assists were the most by a forward, and her 13 goals ranked fourth. Fillier led rookies in all three categories. Coach of the Year: Kori Cheverie (Montreal) Cheverie was a finalist for the award last season and beat out Toronto's coach, Troy Ryan (the inaugural winner), this year after leading Montreal to a first-place finish in the regular season. Goaltender of the Year: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal) Desbiens was the very best goalie in the PWHL this season. Her 15 wins, 1.86 goals against average and .932 save percentage led all starters and were critically important to Montreal's success in the regular season. The Victoire lost in the first round of the playoffs, but Desbiens was also excellent there with a 1.55 goals against average and a .943 save percentage that was only bested by playoff MVP Gwyneth Philips. Advertisement Defender of the Year: Renata Fast (Toronto) Fast became the first defender to be voted a finalist for MVP, a credit to her impact at both ends of the ice for the Toronto Sceptres. No defender had more points (22) or hits (63) this season than Fast. With almost 740 minutes of play, Fast was on the ice more than any player in the league, averaging 24:39 per game. PWHL All-Rookie Team Forwards: Sarah Fillier (New York), Jennifer Gardiner (Montreal), Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota) Defense: Cayla Barnes (Montreal), Anna Wilgren (Montreal) Goalie: Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa) PWHL Second Team All-Stars Forwards: Daryl Watts (Toronto), Tereza Vanišová (Ottawa), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota) Defense: Claire Thompson (Minnesota), Ella Shelton (New York) Goalie: Aerin Frankel (Boston) Advertisement PWHL First Team All-Stars Forwards: Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal), Hilary Knight (Boston), Sarah Fillier (New York) Defense: Renata Fast (Toronto), Sophie Jaques (Minnesota) Goalie: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal) The PWHL provides performance bonuses as laid out in the collective bargaining agreement: Billie Jean King MVP: $5,000 Forward of the Year: $4,000 Defender of the Year: $4,000 Goalie of the Year: $4,000 Rookie of the Year: $4,000 'Hockey for All' award: $4,000 This article originally appeared in The Athletic. NHL, Women's Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marie-Philip Poulin named PWHL's MVP as Montreal Victoire clean up at league awards
Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin was named the PWHL's Billie Jean King MVP for the 2024-25 season. Poulin led her team to the top spot in the league, and finished atop the leaderboard in goal scoring along the way. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press - image credit) Six years have passed since Marie-Philip Poulin was named the most valuable player of a women's hockey league. Poulin won the top award in the Canadian Women's Hockey League in 2018-19, when she guided a stacked Les Canadiennes de Montreal team to the Clarkson Cup final. Advertisement That season would be her last with Les Canadiennes, as the CWHL folded and players like Poulin suddenly had nowhere to play. Much has changed since then. Poulin captained Team Canada to three world championships and an Olympic gold medal. A global pandemic took female players off the ice, before the players created what would become the PWHL. But one thing hasn't changed one bit: Poulin remains the best and most dominant female hockey player in the world. The Montreal Victoire captain received the Billie Jean King MVP Award at the Hard Rock Hotel in Ottawa on Wednesday, edging out Toronto Sceptres defender Renata Fast and former Boston Fleet forward Hilary Knight. Advertisement She was also named the league's top forward over New York Sirens rookie, Sarah Fillier, and Knight, who had a breakout season with the Boston Fleet. Poulin credited her teammates and the culture they've built in Montreal, when she accepted the award. "This just makes me want to go back to work," Poulin said after the awards ceremony. "I want to get better. I want to keep improving because I know it's a big year [next] year." Poulin led the league in goal scoring last season, putting up 19 goals in 30 games. She helped guide the Victoire to first place, anchoring a top line alongside Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner, who signed with PWHL Vancouver during the expansion process. Advertisement She also led the league in both shootout goals (five) and game winners (six), proving that she remains the kind of player who comes up biggest when it matters the most. Poulin was also nominated for MVP last season. But Poulin's impact goes beyond her numbers. She is a leader who leads by example by being the hardest working player on and off the ice, and someone who's willing to play any role. In addition to the MVP award, Poulin also brought home the awards for top forward and most goals. (Arianne Bergeron/PWHL) The one trophy missing from Poulin's trophy case is the Walter Cup. For the second year in a row, the Victoire lost in the first round, this time to the Ottawa Charge in four games. Always a fan of quotes, Poulin told the crowd that people will forget what you said. She hoped they would also forget her team's overtime playoff losses. Advertisement But they'll never forget how you made them feel, and Poulin said she'll always remember how this team and league have impacted her. "They have made me, a little girl from all the way from Beauce, on top of the world and part of their family," Poulin said. Poulin also has the chance next season to become the fourth Canadian women's hockey player to win four Olympic gold medals, joining Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford and Poulin's role model, Caroline Ouellette. A Montreal celebration Poulin was one of four award winners from the Victoire. Head coach Kori Cheverie was named Coach of the Year and Ann-Renée Desbiens took home Goaltender of the Year. Advertisement Stacey was also recognized with the PWHL's Hockey For All Award for her community work through her charitable foundation, LS7. She's raised more than $100,000 through her annual Sticks In For Charity road hockey tournament, all going to help youth access creative arts, sports and physical activity programs in under-resourced communities in Toronto and Montreal. "I truly believe that this sport and this league has opened my eyes to how magical this truly can be," Stacey said. Cheverie guided the Victoire to first place in the standings in late January, and the team stayed there until the end of the regular season. Along the way, she got the most out of several rookie players, including Gardiner and defender Anna Wilgren. Advertisement The coach from New Glasgow, N.S. thanked Montreal general manager Danièle Sauvageau, who got the call to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder on Tuesday, for standing beside her and giving the confidence to "lead this team boldly." She's become an important person in Cheverie's life, and the kind of mentor that Sauvageau didn't have when she first started coaching women's hockey. "She's the reason why I'm here," Cheverie said. Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan and the Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod were also nominated. Montreal Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie was named the Coach of the Year in the PWHL for guiding her team to the top of the standings. (Arianne Bergeron/PWHL) Desbiens, meanwhile, was a brick wall in net for Montreal this season, recording a 1.86 goals against average over 21 games. She beat Boston Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel and rookie Gwyneth Philips with the Ottawa Charge for the award. Advertisement "The support we've had as players is truly amazing," Desbiens said about the league's fans in her acceptance speech. Fast takes home top defender award Fast took home the prize for top defender after helping Toronto climb from the bottom of the standings all the way up to the second playoff seed. Fast was a key part of Toronto's top-ranked power play, which converted on an astounding one-third of its chances during the regular season. She led the league in assists (16 in 30 games) and power play assists (11), and tied former Toronto teammate Hannah Miller for power play points (13). Advertisement She also finished top three in the league in shots blocked, showing why she's Toronto's go-to defender in all situations. Fast was named the league's top defender for the 2024-25 season. She led the league in assists, tied for power play points and finished top three in shots blocked. (Melinda Dalton/CBC Montreal) "We truly had a group that made it fun to come to the rink every single day, and this award is a reflection of that group we had," Fast told the crowd. Also nominated were former Minnesota Frost teammates, Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson. Both signed with PWHL Vancouver earlier this month. Fillier took home the Rookie of the Year Award after tying Knight for 29 points in 30 games. She formed a partnership with former Sirens forward Alex Carpenter that became one of the most dangerous in the league, stacked with two shooting threats. She thanked both Carpenter and another linemate, Paetyn Levis, on the stage on Wednesday. Advertisement "It's an honour to play amongst the best in the world, and even more special to share this with a player like Hilary," Fillier said as she accepted the award for the most points. With Carpenter now in Seattle, Fillier is looking for new linemates with the Sirens. Two possible candidates were drafted in the first round on Tuesday night: first-overall pick Kristýna Kaltounková, a power forward with a great shot, and third-overall pick Casey O'Brien, who brings elite vision and playmaking. WATCH | Sirens pick Kaltounková with top pick in 2025 PWHL Draft: Fillier is a restricted free agent who will need a new contract with the Sirens before the season begins. Advertisement Philips also picked up the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award, which she was presented on the ice in Game 4 of the PWHL Finals. The rookie goaltender won even as her Charge team lost the Walter Cup to Minnesota. "It represents far more than just an individual effort," Philips told the crowd. "It reflects the heart and determination and sacrifice of an entire team, and an entire community that makes the PWHL possible." Full awards list:
Forbes
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Marie-Philip Poulin Is 2025 MVP As PWHL Rosters Are Reshaped At Draft
Montreal Victoire forward Marie-Philip Poulin was named MVP and top forward at the 2025 PWHL Awards. ... More (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Wednesday morning, Marie-Philip Poulin and Montreal Victoire cleaned up at the 2025 PWHL Awards. The Montreal captain, who led the league with 19 goals in 30 regular-season games, was named the league's top forward and winner of the Billie Jean King MVP Award. Amid a decorated career that includes three Olympic gold medals, four world championship golds and, last week, the IIHF's 2024-25 female player of the year award, the 34-year-old called her latest honors 'pretty special.' After acknowledging the support of her teammates, she admitted that 'Honestly, I would exchange these trophies for the bigger one — that's for sure.' Despite finishing comfortably atop the regular-season standings, the Victoire failed to advance out of the first round of the Walter Cup playoffs for the second-straight year. Montreal netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens was also named the league's goaltender of the year, coach Kori Cheverie was named coach of the year, and forward Laura Stacey received the 'Hockey for All' award, which recognized the player who made the biggest impact in her community during the 2024-25 season. Stacey raised over $100,000 through her 'LS7 Sticks In For Charity' Road Hockey Tournament, with funds supporting under-resourced communities in Toronto and Montreal. Laura Stacey was named the winner of the PWHL's 2025 'Hockey for All' award. (Photo by Troy ...) 'As I'm starting to get older and realize that I do want to have an impact and we could leave a legacy,' said Stacey, 31. 'There's so many leaders, trailblazers and community heroes who have done so much for sport and for women, so it was a huge honor to receive this award today. I definitely don't take it lightly.' Renata Fast of the Toronto Sceptres won the league's defender of the year award, and Sarah Fillier of the New York Sirens was named the league's top rookie. Sirens Take Big Swings At The Draft New York Sirens GM Pascal Daoust with 2025 1st overall pick Kristyna Kaltounkova and PWHL hockey ops ... More boss Jayna Hefford. On Tuesday, Fillier's Sirens had a dramatic evening at the PWHL's third entry draft. After his team finished last in the standings for a second-straight season, GM Pascal Daoust elected to shake things up with the league's first-ever draft-day player trade, moving defender Ella Shelton to Toronto in exchange for the third-overall pick and the No. 27 pick. After scoring the fewest total goals over the league's first two seasons and losing top forwards Jessie Eldridge and Alex Carpenter to Seattle during the expansion process, the Sirens made Kristyna Kaltounkova of Colgate University the first Czech player ever to be selected first overall at the PWHL draft. Then, Daoust followed up by choosing 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Casey O'Brien out of the University of Wisconsin, thus boosting his forward group with arguably the two top talents available this year. Later, Daoust dealt forward Abby Roque to Montreal in exchange for gritty forward Kristin O'Neill and the 28th pick. When the dust settled, the Sirens had made nine picks in the six-round draft — six forwards, one defender and two goaltenders. 'We felt that it was an opportunity for us to gear up and cover a new angle,' Daoust said. 'We're very happy with it.' Vancouver And Ottawa Take International Approach As the PWHL prioritized competitive balance when setting the stage for its expansion process and with more expansion on the horizon, it has become apparent that teams might not get the opportunity to develop their draft prospects over a period of time. Five of last year's six first-round picks were claimed by the two new expansion teams, with Seattle bringing in Danielle Serdachny (Ottawa), Hannah Bilka (Boston), Cayla Barnes (Montreal) and Julia Gosling (Toronto), while Vancouver signed Claire Thompson away from Minnesota. Rather than look for NCAA prospects to develop at the draft, the GMs for Vancouver and Ottawa looked to Europe to add immediate offensive pop. Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey used her team's first-round pick at No. 7 to select Michelle Karvinen, a 35-year-old Finn who is a legend in the international game. Her eight world championship medals include a silver from 2019, and she served as captain of Finland's bronze-medal group in 2025. Lately, Karvinen has been playing in Sweden. Earlier in her career, she spent three years at the University of North Dakota. She also won a championship with the KRS Vanke Rays in Russia's women's league in 2021-22, on a team coached by new Vancouver bench boss Brian Idalski which also included PWHL Vancouver players Michela Cava and Hannah Miller. 'I just kept hoping that no one picked her ahead of us,' said Gardner Morey. 'We obviously wanted a top forward and Michelle is a proven winner — she's got the experience. I think that leadership, and veteran players, are really important in this league. We had a chance to get one of those in an entry draft that's usually not available. I've gotten to know her personality through some players, and she's going to be one of those special players in the locker room.' Gardner Morey also shored up her crease through a trade. Former Toronto Sceptres netminder Kristen Campbell headed west along with the 19th pick in a deal that saw Vancouver send the 16th and 23rd picks to the Sceptres. Vancouver then selected North Vancouver native Nina Jobst-Smith with that 19th pick and closed out the draft by choosing the PWHL's first-ever South Asian player and the only player this year from Canada's USports program — local product Chanreet Bassi from the University of British Columbia. After the Walter Cup finalist Ottawa Charge lost 15-goal-scorer Tereza Vanisova to Vancouver as well as seeing Serdachny go to Seattle, GM Mike Hirshfeld set his sights on two veteran forwards from Russia's women's league. With the fifth pick in the second round, he selected 28-year-old Anna Shokhina. He added her 27-year-old St. Petersburg teammate, Fanuza Kadirova, in Round 6. 'We think Anna Shokhina — we had her as probably the fourth-most-talented player in this draft. That's how highway we thought of her,' Hirshfeld said. 'To get her at 13 was really exciting for us. We think she's going to be a superstar in this league.' One other veteran from the European leagues was also selected. Sara Hjalmarsson, a 27-year-old Swedish defender, went to Toronto in the fifth round. Roster Rebuilds After the shocking losses of the expansion process, the inaugural six teams and their fanbases can now breathe a little easier. Forty-six new roster spots were created by adding the Vancouver and Seattle franchises, and 48 players were selected in Tuesday's draft. That breaks down to 30 forwards, 13 defenders and 5 goaltenders, with 43 players coming out of NCAA programs. Ohio State University led the way with six players selected, followed by the University of Minnesota Duluth with five. Of the 48 players, exactly half hail from the United States, followed by 17 from Canada, two each from Czechia, Finland and Russia and one from Sweden. With 192 players declaring for the draft this year, the next step for undrafted players will be to try to earn training-camp invitations for a chance to play their way onto a team or its reserve squad. Will the next Marie-Philip Poulin emerge from the PWHL's class of '25?
National Post
25-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin wins PWHL's Billie Jean King MVP award
OTTAWA — Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin has won the Professional Women's Hockey League's Billie Jean King MVP Award for the 2024-25 season. Article content Poulin, who was also named forward of the year, was presented the awards at a ceremony Wednesday afternoon in Ottawa. Article content Article content The 34-year-old Poulin, from Beauceville, Que., led the league with 19 goals and finished fourth with 26 points in 30 games. Article content Poulin was also a finalist for the MVP and top forward awards in the inaugural 2024 PWHL season. Both awards were won by Toronto's Natalie Spooner. Article content The awards capped another year of major achievements for Poulin, who was also named the IIHF's Female Player of the Year earlier this month after taking MVP honours at the 2025 women's world championship with a tournament-leading 12 points (four goals, eight assists). Article content Toronto Sceptres defender Renata Fast and Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight (now with Seattle) were the other MVP finalists, while Knight and New York Sirens forward Sarah Fillier were up for forward of the year. Article content Fast and Fillier did not leave empty-handed. Fast took home defender of the year honours while Fillier was named the league's top rookie. Article content The 30-year-old Fast, from Burlington, tied for first in scoring among defenders with 22 points in 30 games, led the league with 63 hits, and led all skaters with an average of 24 minutes 39 seconds of ice time per game. Article content Article content Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson of the PWHL champion Minnesota Frost (both now with Vancouver) were the other finalists. Article content Article content Fillier, 25, from Georgetown, Ont., tied for the league lead with 29 points in 30 games and led the league with five power-play goals. Article content Montreal forward Jenn Gardiner (now with Vancouver) and Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips were also finalists. Article content Montreal's Ann-Renee Desbiens took goaltender of the year honours. The 31-year-old from Clermont, Que., led all goaltenders with 15 wins and her 1.86 goals-against average and .932 save percentage were top marks among all starters. Article content Article content Philips and Boston's Aerin Frankel were also finalists. Montreal's Kori Cheverie won coach of the year after leading the Victoire to first place in the PWHL standings with a 12-7-3-8 record. Ottawa's Carla MacLeod and Toronto's Troy Ryan, who won the award last year, were also in the running. Article content Victoire forward Laura Stacey won the Hockey For All Award given to the player 'who made the greatest impact in their community.' Article content Poulin, Fillier, Knight, Fast, Jaques and Desbiens were named to the league's first all-star team. Article content Minnesota's Kendall Coyne Schofield, Ottawa's Tereza Vanisova (now with Vancouver), Toronto's Daryl Watts, New York's Ella Shelton (now with Toronto), Thompson and Frankel were named to the second all-star team.
