Americans take five of six spots
The IIHF’s Historical Committee has announced their six finalists for the prestigious IIHF Female Player of the Year award for the 2024-25 hockey season. The list includes five Americans as well as Team Canada/Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
The American players include forward Laila Edwards (USA/Wisconsin, NCAA), goaltender Aerin Frankel (USA/Boston, PWHL), defender Caroline Harvey (USA/Wisconsin, NCAA), captain Hilary Knight (USA/Boston, PWHL), and another goalie, Gwyneth Philips (USA/Ottawa, PWHL).
Edwards was part of the Americans’ gold-medal team at the Women’s World Championship in Czechia in April, registering four points in the tournament. As well, she was 3rd in NCAA scoring this past season with Wisconsin, recording 71 points in 41 games. She was a top-three Patty Kazmaier Award finalist.
Frankel was the starting goalie in the gold-medal game of the Women’s Worlds and had a 4-0 record in the tournament. Additionally, she had a 12-11 W-L record with the Boston Fleet in the PWHL to go with a 2.28 GAA.
The only defender on the list, Harvey was also part of the USA’s gold-medal team in April and placed 5th in NCAA scoring. She was a teammate of Edwards and had 63 points in 41 games with the Badgers, and was also a Kazmaier top-three finalist.
Knight, the inaugural winner of the IIHF Female Player of the Year Award two years ago, had another outstanding season at home and abroad. In addition to winning gold at the WW, she was third in tournament scoring with nine points (2+7). In the PWHL, she was co-leader in regular-season scoring with 29 points in 30 games with the Fleet.
Poulin, a perennial star with Canada, won a silver medal at the Women’s Worlds and was also named tournament MVP. She led the event in scoring with 12 points in seven games. In PWHL play with the Montreal Victoire, Poulin led the league in goals with 19 and took the team to the playoffs for a second straight season.
Lastly, the incredible trajectory of Philips has been acknowledged today. She was the winning goalie in the WW gold-medal game, and with a 3-0 record she also posted a GAA of 0.49. In the PWHL, Philips led the Ottawa Charge to the Walter Cup finals, where she was named playoff MVP despite the Charge losing in four games to Minnesota.
About the Award
The IIHF Female Player of the Year Award is given every year to a…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Rss News…