Brianne Jenner from the Ottawa Charge and Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek from the Minnesota Frost have been selected as the top three finalists for the forward of the year award in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The recipient of this prestigious award will be announced during the PWHL’s awards ceremony on June 16 in Detroit.
Pannek, representing Minnesota, emerged as the leader in points (33) and goals (16) during the league’s third season. She achieved the remarkable feat of clinching both the points and goals titles in a single season, a feat previously accomplished only by Toronto’s Natalie Spooner in 2024 (20 goals, seven assists).
Heise, who was the overall first pick in 2023 for the PWHL, secured 30 points while playing for the Frost, scoring 13 goals. Notably, Heise set a new PWHL single-season record with six multi-assist games alongside her teammate.
Jenner, the captain of Ottawa, contributed significantly with 12 goals and 14 points in 30 games. The 35-year-old player hailing from Oakville, Ont., concluded the regular season with an impressive performance, tallying three goals and four assists in just four games, which helped the Charge secure the final playoff berth in the league.
Meanwhile, Ottawa currently trails the Montreal Victoire in the best-of-five Walter Cup championship series, with the series standing at two games to one in favor of Montreal. The upcoming Game 4 is scheduled to take place at Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.
In the previous year, Marie-Philip Poulin from Montreal was honored as the top forward in the league, surpassing finalists Sarah Fillier from the New York Sirens and Hilary Knight, who had previously played for the Boston Fleet and most recently for the Seattle Torrent.