Gosling, O’Brien, Winn Voted Pwhl Rookie of the Year Finalists

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced that Nicole Gosling of the Montréal Victoire, Casey O’Brien of the New York Sirens, and Haley Winn of the Boston Fleet have been voted as the three finalists for the 2026 PWHL Rookie of the Year award presented by Ally Financial.

The PWHL Rookie of the Year award presented by Ally Financial is awarded to the player who showcases the most outstanding ability throughout their first regular season of professional play. Players eligible must be competing in their first season of professional hockey in North America and begin the season in their 25th birth year or younger. For Season Three, 2000-born players are eligible for the Rookie of the Year award.

NICOLE GOSLING, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE

Gosling is one of the first two defenders to be named a finalist for the award, alongside Winn, her defensive partner at Clarkson University. The fourth overall pick had an impressive campaign on Montréal’s blue line, leading the team’s defense and tying for second in rookie scoring with 19 points in 30 games, while posting a plus-16 rating that led all PWHL rearguards and highlighted her effective two-way presence. Gosling closed the season with 16 assists, second most among rookie skaters and all league defenders, including seven power-play helpers, which ranked second overall among all skaters. She led the Victoire with an average time on ice of 21:17 and played a pivotal role on the team’s power play, setting a PWHL record among rookie defenders with eight power-play points—contributing to half of Montréal’s 16 goals with the player advantage. The London, ON native capped the regular season with a six-game point streak (1G, 7A) to help the Victoire solidify their first-place standing, and a league-best nine-game point streak on the road (11A), finishing just one game shy of Sarah Fillier’s all-time PWHL record of 10 consecutive road games with a point (2024-25).

CASEY O’BRIEN, NEW YORK SIRENS

O’Brien emerged as a vital piece of New York’s offense this season after being selected third overall in the 2025 PWHL Draft, delivering timely scoring and setting new benchmarks for first-year players. The former Wisconsin Badger led all rookie skaters with 22 points in 28 games, including seven goals, which tied for second in her collegiate draft class, and 15 assists to lead all rookie forwards. She was among the league’s most consistent newcomers, recording at least one point in 17 games and producing four multi-point performances, both the most among rookies. On special teams, the 24-year-old was one of three rookies to score a shorthanded goal and led all rookies with three power-play markers. O’Brien scored a hat trick in her eighth career game, becoming the only rookie and one of just six players overall to record a three-goal performance this season, as well as the third rookie all-time to do so. At the faceoff dot, she set a new PWHL single-season record for rookies with 266 wins on 496 draws—68 more than the previous record. In a full-circle moment, the Manhattan-born forward capped a career-best five-game point streak on April 4 at Madison Square Garden, assisting on the game-tying goal that helped keep the Sirens alive before their eventual shootout victory.

HALEY WINN, BOSTON FLEET

Winn translated her game seamlessly to the professional level, providing Boston with steady offensive support and reliable play from the blue line throughout her rookie campaign. The second overall pick produced 19 points in 30 games, tied for second among rookies and third among all PWHL defenders, while her five goals set a new rookie record among rearguards. The former Golden Knight registered a point in 16 contests—tied for the second-most such games by a defender, while the second-place Fleet posted a 10-3-2-1 record (.792) in those outings. Special-teams play further underscored her effectiveness, as Winn’s five power-play assists ranked third among rookie skaters and, along with one power-play goal, factored into six of Boston’s 13 goals with the player advantage. The Rochester, NY native also brought a consistent physical presence, recording a hit and a blocked shot in 18 games—tying for the second-most such performances among all skaters and the most among rookies. Winn added a four-game assist streak from March 21 to 29, the second-longest by a rookie this season, while also scoring twice during that span. She finished the year with 92 shots on goal—most in her draft class and second most among defenders—and logged 802:42 of ice time to pace all PWHL skaters.

A selection committee cast their votes for six regular-season PWHL awards, including Rookie of the Year, along with the league’s First and Second All-Star Teams and an All-Rookie Team, between the conclusion of regular season and the commencement of playoffs. The three players that received the most voting points for Rookie of the Year have been named finalists. Winners of all PWHL Awards will be announced on June 16 in Detroit.

Last season, New York’s Sarah Fillier was the recipient of the Rookie of the Year award, voted over finalists Jenn Gardiner (MTL) and Gwyneth Philips (OTT).

ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S HOCKEY LEAGUE (PWHL)

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. As of the 2025-26 season, it is comprised of eight teams — Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver — with Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose added as the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th teams ahead of the 2026-27 season. Launched on January 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in Canada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris Poll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social media @thepwhlofficial.

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