New categories and criteria introduced to enhance annual honors
BOSTON, MA – (March 23, 2023) – The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced a list of finalists for its annual awards that includes several new categories and criteria to celebrate and honor excellence during the 2022-23 regular season. The announcement follows a new media partnership with the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) which has launched a Women’s Hockey Chapter with its inaugural members independently voting to select the league’s Most Valuable Player.
MVP is one of the five individual awards carrying over from previous seasons along with Defender of the Year, Goaltender of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and the Denna Laing Award which goes to the player who most exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport.
Newcomer of the Year will now be awarded to the top first-year player who has joined the league with prior professional experience, and a new Rookie of the Year award will recognize the top first-year player who has joined the league immediately following their collegiate career without any prior professional experience. Another new award for 2022-23 is Outstanding Player of the Year, as selected by members of the PHF Players’ Association, and the league’s top regular season scorer will now be termed Offensive Player of the Year.
“The PHF is proud to celebrate excellence on and off the ice with annual awards and I would like to congratulate all of our finalists on their tremendous accomplishments and contributions to growing the PHF’s new era,” said Reagan Carey, PHF Commissioner. “The introduction of our media partnership with the PHWA, new award categories and criteria, and providing athletes with the platform to recognize their peers are all part of our commitment to enhancing and evolving our process to honor players and their important and prestigious achievements in our league.”
There were 13 inaugural members of the PHWA’s Women’s Hockey Chapter who casted ballots to determine the PHF’s MVP. Finalists for all other awards were determined by PHF hockey operations in consultation with all team general managers, except for the player-voted Outstanding Player of the Year award. All seven teams provided single nominees for the Denna Laing Award, with the recipient to be selected by Denna and her family.
2022-23 PHF AWARDS FINALISTS
Most Valuable Player
Loren Gabel (BOS)
Kennedy Marchment (CTW)
Corinne Schroeder (BOS)
Outstanding Player of the Year
Loren Gabel (BOS)
Kennedy Marchment (CTW)
Corinne Schroeder (BOS)
Defender of the Year
Kali Flanagan (BOS)
Sidney Morin (MIN)
Minttu Tuominen (MET)
Goaltender of the Year
Elaine Chuli (TOR)
Amanda Leveille (MIN)
Corinne Schroeder (BOS)
Newcomer of the Year
Ann-Sophie Bettez (MON)
Loren Gabel (BOS)
Brittany Howard (TOR)
Rookie of the Year
Élizabeth Giguère (BOS)
Corinne Schroeder (BOS)
Natalie Snodgrass (MIN)
Denna Laing Award
Lauren Kelly (BOS)
Lovisa Berndtsson (BUF)
Mallory Souliotis (CTW)
Kaycie Anderson (MET)
Jonna Albers (MIN)
Ann-Sophie Bettez (MON)
Breanne Wilson-Bennett (TOR)
Additional honors to be unveiled include the PHF Foundation Awards with recipients from each team who actively apply the core values of hockey to their community as well as growing and improving hockey culture, and the Fans’ Three Stars of the Season that will be determined by an online vote conducted in the coming weeks. Award recipients will be announced individually over a short period following the Isobel Cup Championship.
About the Premier Hockey Federation
The PHF is the home of professional women’s hockey in North America. Established in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, the NWHL rebranded to become the PHF in 2021 and provide opportunities for elite athletes to earn a living playing the game they love while fueling the continued growth of the sport. The league is made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, Montreal Force, and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup. As part of a two-year agreement with ESPN, live coverage of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 PHF seasons is available exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States, and provides international rights for games which includes TSN in Canada. For more information visit premierhockeyfederation.com.
