The 2025–26 PWHL season is over halfway done, so it’s time for some midseason awards!

PDH writers and staff voted on their top three choices for each award, based on personal preference (not necessarily predictions about who will actually win). Players were awarded three points for a first-choice vote, two points for a second-choice vote, and one point for a third-choice vote. The three highest point totals became the nominees, and the player with the highest point total won the award.

Votes were cast based on games up to and including March 8, 2026, so analysis is based on statistics up to and including the same date.

Forward of the Year

Nominees: Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost), Taylor Heise (Minnesota Frost), Brianne Jenner (Ottawa Charge), Marie-Philip Poulin (Montréal Victoire)

Taylor Heise has put together an impressive first half of the season. She leads the league in points, with 19 in 17 games (as of March 8), averaging 1.12 points per game. Her league-leading 15 assists is four more than the next most (Sarah Fillier, with 11). She’s also second in plus/minus, at +12, just behind her teammate Kendall Coyne Schofield. Heise plays an average of 17:14 per game and has been a key distributor on the power play.

Her most recent game, against Toronto, earned her PWHL Player of the Week honours as she registered a goal and two assists, including an assist on the overtime game-winning goal. She was also part of the league’s January “Starting Six,” a monthly award recognizing the top three forwards, two defenders, and one goaltender. In January, Heise led all skaters with 10 points in seven games and had three multi-point games. This season, she’s also been the first star of the game once, the second star twice, and the third star once.

Defender of the Year

Nominees: Kendall Cooper (Minnesota Frost), Megan Keller (Boston Fleet), Lee Stecklein (Minnesota Frost)

The 29-year-old Fleet captain led all defenders in points (12), goals (5), and points per game (0.71) as of March 8. Megan Keller is also among the top five defenders in hits per game. She’s shooting at 11.9% and is in the top-four in shots from a defender. Keller is tied for first in power play goals, with 4, and is second league-wide in average time on ice, behind only her frequent D partner, Haley Winn.

So far, she’s been the first star of the game twice and the third star once. She has also been a part of every “Starting Six” this season, recording the first power play goal of the season in November, six points in six games in December, and her second game-winning goal of the season in January.

Goaltender of the Year

Nominees: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montréal Victoire), Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet), Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge)

The veteran goaltender from Clermont, Quebec, leads the league in just about every statistic. Ann-Renée Desbiens has a ridiculous 1.06 goals-against average (GAA) and 0.958 save percentage (SV%). As of March 8, she was tied with Boston Fleet netminder Aerin Frankel with 11 wins and four shutouts across 15 games played.

Desbiens has allowed only 16 goals on 381 shots and zero goals on five shootout attempts. Named to January’s “Starting Six,” she had a GAA of 0.99 that month and won six of seven games. She also became the first goaltender to record 30 career wins.

Rookie of the Year

Nominees: Kendall Cooper (D, Minnesota Frost), Kristýna Kaltounková (F, New York Sirens), Haley Winn (D, Boston Fleet)

Czech forward Kristýna Kaltounková was picked first overall in the 2025 draft for good reason. She leads the entire league in goals, with 11, seven more than the next rookie (as of March 8). She’s also second among rookies in points (12) and points per game (0.63), just behind teammate Casey O’Brien.

She’s a huge generator of shots. Her total of 76 is second in the league and first among rookies (22 more than the next rookie), and she’s shooting at 14.5%. Her physical play puts her 10th overall in hits, with 29., though it’s led her to the top of the standings in penalty minutes as well.

Kaltounková leads by example on the Sirens, having recorded the first goal of the game on three separate occasions and twice clinching a victory with a game-winning goal. Another member of January’s “Starting Six,” she notched eight points in seven games that month. On January 29, she was named the PWHL’s player of the week, when her two goals on January 28 marked her third multi-goal performance of the season. She also became the third rookie in league history to hit double digits in goals.

Coach of the Year

Nominees: Kori Cheverie (Montréal Victoire), Carla MacLeod (Ottawa Charge), Kris Sparre (Boston Fleet)

In his first season as the head coach of the Boston Fleet, Kris Sparre has turned the team around. Last year, the Fleet finished just outside of the playoff picture. This year, they sit atop the standings with 35 points in 16 games (as of March 8). Their penalty kill is the best in the league, and their power play is more than twice as effective as it was in the inaugural season.

In comparison to the first two seasons, this year’s team has already reached the same number of regulation wins (9) that last year’s team finished with after 30 games. In both 2024 and 2024–25, Boston’s win percentage hovered just below .490. Under Sparre, that win percentage has now jumped to .729.

The bulk of the scoring last year came from Hilary Knight, and it was reasonable to be concerned when she made the move to Seattle after being left unprotected. But this season, points are spread more evenly across players like Alina Müller, Megan Keller, Susanna Tapani, and rookie Haley Winn. And pretty much all players are rolling: Boston has the most goals by defenders of any team, and all of their rookies (not including reserves) have at least two points.

Sparre has consistently mixed up the lines and doesn’t seem to have a clear top-six forwards or even top three. Last season, three players (not including reserves) had an average ice time per game under 10 minutes; this year, only one player does.

Boston has been on top all season and has shown a few moments of breakdown. It seems likely that Sparre will help coach the Fleet to a playoff run this year.

Billie Jean King MVP

Nominees: Ann-Renée Desbiens (G, Montréal Victoire), Taylor Heise (F, Minnesota Frost), Marie-Philip Poulin (F, Montréal Victoire)

The most valuable player is one who comes up big when they need to, who is good for the team when it’s at its best and at its worst. Desbiens has been, arguably, the most valuable key to Montréal’s success this season.

The Victoire have allowed the fewest goals in the league at just 25. In Desbiens’s last five games, she has not allowed more than a single goal; this season, she has not allowed more than two goals in a game.

Desbiens keeps Montréal in the game even when they’re not scoring in huge numbers, and when it matters most in sudden-death situations. In her only shootout game so far, she made five of five saves. She also has the best SV% when considering only tight-game scenarios (leading by a goal, tied, or trailing by a goal), and the best SV% on both high- and low-quality shots in tight games (thanks to PDH writer Erin McGee for the stats).

We at PDH are not the only ones who think Desbiens is often the pivotal player on the ice. Look no further than the three stars of the game: In 15 games, Desbiens has been first star four times, second star three times, and third star once.

Bonus: Walk-In Outfit of the Year

Nominees: Mikyla Grant-Mentis (F, Seattle Torrent), Sarah Nurse (F, Vancouver Goldeneyes), Dayle Ross (D, New York Sirens)

This category was voted on by me and me alone. I can confidently say Mikyla Grant-Mentis and her belt-buckle outfit deserve this one. This look leads the league in most interesting shape for a top and was one of two MGM outfits featured in my personal “Walk-In Outfits of the Month” for December.