Brianne Jenner from the Ottawa Charge, along with Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek from the Minnesota Frost, have been selected as the three finalists for the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s forward of the year accolade. The winner will be revealed during the PWHL’s awards event on June 16 in Detroit.
Pannek of Minnesota topped the PWHL charts in points (33) and goals (16) during the league’s third season. She achieved a rare feat of claiming both the points and goals titles in the same season, a feat previously accomplished only by Toronto’s Natalie Spooner in 2024.
Heise, the first overall pick in the 2023 PWHL draft, registered 30 points for the Frost, scoring 13 goals. Notably, she set a league record with six multi-assist games in a single season.
Jenner, the captain of Ottawa, contributed 12 goals and 14 points in 30 games. The veteran player from Oakville, Ont., aged 35, concluded the regular season with an impressive performance, tallying three goals and four assists in the final four games to help the Charge secure the last playoff spot.
Ottawa is currently trailing the Montreal Victoire by two games to one in the best-of-five Walter Cup championship series. The upcoming Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday at Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre.
Marie-Philip Poulin of Montreal clinched the top forward award last year, besting finalists Sarah Fillier from the New York Sirens and Hilary Knight, who played for the Boston Fleet. Knight recently played for the Seattle Torrent in the previous season.