Five PWHL rookies making a splash
The IX: Hockey Friday with The Ice Garden, Feb. 28, 2025
Happy Friday! Melissa Burgess here from The Ice Garden, ready for another Hockey Friday where we bring you exclusive coverage of the happenings in the world of women’s ice hockey. This week, with the PWHL season well past the midway point, it’s time to talk about a few of the rookie players who have made an impact so far this season.
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As a reminder, here’s what the PWHL considers a rookie with regards to eligibility for the Rookie of the Year award: players must be competing in their first season of professional hockey in North America and begin the season in their 25th birth year or younger.
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Raygan Kirk — Toronto Sceptres
Sharing the crease with Kristen Campbell may not always be easy, but Raygan Kirk has done well at holding her own and earning her ice time this season. In nine games, she’s 5-1-1-1 with a 2.33 GAA and .918 save percentage. Having played over 500 minutes, she leads all rookie goaltenders in minutes played.
Before going pro, the 23-year-old spent five years playing NCAA Division I hockey at Ohio State and Robert Morris. She went 22-2-0 in her final season with the Buckeyes, notching an impressive 1.05 GAA. The Sceptres picked her up with the final selection in the 2024 PWHL draft.
Sarah Fillier — New York Sirens
Expectations are always going to be high for a first-overall draft pick, and Sarah Fillier has made quick work of meeting those expectations on a struggling New York Sirens team. The Sirens selected Fillier with the first-overall selection in the 2024 PWHL draft, and she’s easily proven why that was a great choice. She currently leads all rookies — and is second overall in the league — in scoring, with 21 points (7-14) in as many games. The same can be said for shots — she has 67 as of writing, and only Daryl Watts has more.
The 24-year-old spent five seasons at Princeton before turning pro, captaining the team for her last four years. She registered a whopping 194 points (93-101) in 120 games. After signing her, Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust said Fillier “brings an energy that ignites both her teammates and fans alike. Her game combines passion, excitement, growth, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.”
Dominique Petrie — Minnesota Frost
To some extent, Dominique Petrie has flown under the radar this season — understandably so, because she missed a handful of games with an upper-body injury. When she has been in the lineup, though, she’s certainly made her mark. Despite appearing in just nine games, she has recorded a respectable five points, including three goals recorded in consecutive games from December 1-7.
Petrie was on long-term injured reserve from Dec. 28, 2024 until Feb. 11, 2025.
The Frost selected Petrie with its fifth-round pick in the 2024 PWHL draft. Before turning pro, she played at both Harvard and Clarkson, registering 105 points in 116 NCAA games. She missed the entire 2022-23 season after tearing her ACL and breaking her tibia at a Team USA Collegiate Series game.
Jennifer Gardiner — Montréal Victoire
One of six rookies on the Victoire this season, Jennifer Gardiner is leading the way with 13 points in 18 games. She is second on the team in points scoring, behind only Marie-Philip Poulin, and her nine assists are also second-most on the team. She also has four goals this season and has put 34 shots on net.
Earlier this week, Gardiner won the accuracy shooting competition at the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens’ skills competition. She hit all four targets in just 9.457 seconds; in comparison, Mike Matheson had the best finishing time of the NHL players, at 12.092 seconds.
Gardiner was selected in the second round of the 2024 PWHL draft. Before turning pro, the 23-year-old played five seasons at Ohio State, where she recorded 171 points, including 100 assists, in 176 NCAA games.
Gwyneth Philips — Ottawa Charge
Philips has appeared in five games for the Ottawa Charge this season, going 2-2-1-0 with a 2.22 GAA and a .909 save percentage. She also has one shutout, via a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Frost on Jan. 21. Philips is second among rookie goalies in GAA and third in ice time — through no fault of her own; Emerance Maschmeyer has just been the hot hand this season.
Philips was the first goaltender drafted into the PWHL in 2024, as the Charge chose her with their third-round selection.
Links
Hilary Knight free from injuries, distractions in regaining her offensive touch in 2nd PWHL season — AP
Hilary Knight is injury-free after dealing with an ankle issue last summer. As one of the PWHL’s oldest players, she’s been able to settle in this season and help continue establishing the team’s culture.
PWHL 2024-25 playoff chances and projected standings — The Athletic
What do the numbers say for each PWHL team’s chances at making the playoffs and winning the Walter Cup? Dom Luszczyszyn regularly runs the numbers and updates this page. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t look great for the New York Sirens.
After strong turnout for Rivalry Series, could Halifax become home to a PWHL team? — CBC
With PWHL expansion on the horizon, could the maritime city of Halifax get a team of its own?
PWHL notebook: Fleet, Sceptres on roll — NHL.com
It’s really nice to see NHL.com dedicating a biweekly notebook to PWHL coverage. This is a great, easy way to make sure people know about the league and learn some of the highlights. It’s all about growing the game.
What if? The 2025 NCAA women’s hockey tournament pairwise predictor — BC Interruption
The folks at BC Interruption built a Pairwise Predictor to allow you to plug in potential results of the respective women’s college hockey conference tournaments and see the results on the Pairwise rankings. Check it out!
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