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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stacey was also recognized with the PWHL’s Hockey For All Award for her community work through her charitable foundation, LS7.
“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.
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.
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.
“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).
She also finished top three in the league in shots blocked, showing why she’s Toronto’s go-to defender in all situations.
“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.
“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:
Czech Republic born forward Kristýna Kaltounková selected first overall in the PWHL draft in Ottawa by the New York Sirens.
Fillier is a restricted free agent who will need a new contract with the Sirens before the season begins.
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:
- Billie Jean King MVP Award: Marie-Philip Poulin, F (Montreal Victoire).
- Forward of the Year: Marie-Philip Poulin, F (Montreal Victoire).
- Defender of the Year: Renata Fast, D (Toronto Sceptres).
- Rookie of the Year: Sarah Fillier, F (New York Sirens).
- Goaltender of the Year: Ann-Renée Desbiens, G (Montreal Victoire).
- Coach of the Year: Kori Cheverie (Montreal Victoire).
- Hockey For All Award for community impact: Laura Stacey, F (Montreal Victoire).
- Impact Award for leadership: Amanda Boulier (Montreal Victoire), Allie Munroe (Toronto Sceptres). Rebecca Leslie (Ottawa Charge), Jamie Lee Rattray (Boston Fleet), Nicole Hensley (Minnesota Frost), Emmy Fecteau (New York Sirens).
- Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP: Gwyneth Philips, G (Ottawa Charge).
- Goals leader: Marie-Philip Poulin, F (Montreal Victoire).
- Points leader: Hilary Knight, F (formerly Boston Fleet) and Sarah Fillier (New York Sirens).
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