PHF awards explained

Since 2016, the year of its inaugural season (which was then known as the NWHL), the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) grants several annual awards to players in the league, including Most Valuable Player, Goaltender of the Year, Best Defender, Rookie of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Denna Laing Award (formerly the Perseverance Award), Foundation Award, Offensive Player of the Year (formerly the Leading Scorer Award), and the Fans' Three Stars of the Season. The award for Most Valuable Player is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.^[1] Nominees for the Foundation Award are chosen by the Players Association and voted on by fans. Other awards are voted on a panel of journalists.

For the 2022–23 season, the league established a new Rookie of the Year award to be given to "the top first-year player who has joined the league immediately following their collegiate career". This was in contrast to the existing Newcomer of the Year award, which was from then on to be awarded to "the top first-year player who has joined the league with prior professional experience". The league also announced the new Outstanding Player of the Year award, to be voted on by members of the Premier Hockey Federation Players' Association, as well as the renaming of the Leading Scorer award to Offensive Player of the Year.

Most Valuable Player

Season	Player	Team
	Brianna Decker^[2]	Boston Pride
	Brianna Decker	Boston Pride
		Metropolitan Riveters
		Buffalo Beauts
		Boston Pride
		Minnesota Whitecaps
	Mikyla Grant-Mentis^[3]	Toronto Six
2021–22	Kennedy Marchment^[4]	Connecticut Whale
2022–23	Loren Gabel^[5]	Boston Pride

Offensive Player of the Year (formerly Leading Scorer Award)

Season	Player	Team
		Boston Pride
		Boston Pride
		Metropolitan Riveters
		Buffalo Beauts
		Boston Pride
2022–23	Loren Gabel	Boston Pride

Goaltender of the Year

Season	Player	Team
		New York Riveters
		Buffalo Beauts
		Buffalo Beauts
		Boston Pride
	Amanda Leveille	Minnesota Whitecaps
2021–22	Elaine Chuli	Toronto Six
2022–23	Corinne Schroeder^[6]	Boston Pride

Defender of the Year

Season	Player	Team
		Boston Pride
	Megan Bozek^[7]	Buffalo Beauts
	Courtney Burke^[8]	Metropolitan Riveters
	Blake Bolden^[9]	Buffalo Beauts
		Boston Pride
	Kaleigh Fratkin	Boston Pride
2021–22	Dominique Kremer	Buffalo Beauts
2022–23	Kali Flanagan^[10]	Boston Pride

Newcomer of the Year

Season	Player	Team
		Buffalo Beauts
		Minnesota Whitecaps
		Metropolitan Riveters
		Toronto Six
2021–22	Taylor Girard	Connecticut Whale
2022–23	Loren Gabel	Boston Pride

Denna Laing Award (formerly Perseverance Award)

Season	Player	Team
		New York Riveters
		Boston Pride
	Jillian Dempsey	Boston Pride
		Metropolitan Riveters
2021–22	Elena Orlando	Buffalo Beauts
2022–23	Lauren Kelly^[11]	Boston Pride

Foundation Award

Season	Player	Team
		Boston Pride
		Boston Pride
		Buffalo Beauts
		Connecticut Whale
		New York Riveters
		Connecticut Whale
		Boston Pride
		Buffalo Beauts
	Michelle Picard	Metropolitan Riveters
		Buffalo Beauts
		Minnesota Whitecaps
		Connecticut Whale
		Metropolitan Riveters
		Boston Pride
	Lexi Bender^[12]	Boston Pride
		Connecticut Whale
		Metropolitan Riveters
		Buffalo Beauts
		Minnesota Whitecaps
		Toronto Six
		Buffalo Beauts
		Connecticut Whale
		Minnesota Whitecaps
		Boston Pride
		Metropolitan Riveters
2021–22		Boston Pride
	Grace Klienbach	Buffalo Beauts
	Shannon Turner	Connecticut Whale
	Madison Packer	Metropolitan Riveters
	Allie Thunstrom	Minnesota Whitecaps
	Saroya Tinker	Toronto Six
2022–23^[13]		Boston Pride
	Cassidy MacPherson	Buffalo Beauts
	Shannon Turner	Connecticut Whale
	Reagan Rust	Metropolitan Riveters
	Denisa Křížová	Minnesota Whitecaps
	Laura Jardin	Montreal Force
	Shiann Darkangelo	Toronto Six

External links

• PHF Awards

Notes and References

1. Web site: Krotz . Paul . PHF Announces Awards Finalists for 2022-23 Season . . 29 June 2023 . 23 March 2023.
2. Web site: Boston Pride Sweep Inaugural NWHL Awards . March 21, 2016 . Boston Magazine . en-US . November 23, 2019.
3. Web site: NWHL ANNOUNCES 2021 AWARD RECIPIENTS . Paul Krotz . NWHL . April 28, 2021 . April 29, 2021 . en.
4. Web site: 2022-05-20 . PHF awards: Connecticut Whale’s Kennedy Marchment wins MVP . 2022-06-06 . Just Women's Sports . en-US.
5. Web site: . Canadian Loren Gabel named MVP of Premier Hockey Federation . . 29 June 2023 . 27 April 2023.
6. Web site: Foster . River . Schroeder wins two year-end awards in first season of pro hockey . PortageOnline . 29 June 2023 . 25 April 2023.
7. Web site: NWHL Announces 2016-2017 Season Awards: Riveters Claim Key Honors and Hardware . Murphy . Connor . March 14, 2017 . . en . November 23, 2019.
8. Web site: 2018 NWHL Award Winners . Murphy . Mike . March 20, 2018 . SB Nation . en . November 23, 2019.
9. Web site: Elia, Scamurra lead Beauts sweep of NWHL major awards . March 25, 2019 . The Buffalo New . en-us . November 23, 2019.
10. Web site: Weitzer . Nate . Boston Pride’s Kali Flanagan named Premier Hockey Federation Defender of the Year . . 29 June 2023 . 6 April 2023.
11. Web site: Campbell . Lauren . Boston Pride's Lauren Kelly Wins Denna Laing Award For 2022-23 Season . . 29 June 2023 . 13 April 2023.
12. Web site: NWHL FOUNDATION AWARD WINNERS: BENDER, BRICKNER, MORSE, RUGGIERO & THUNSTROM . NWHL . March 3, 2020 . April 22, 2021.
13. Web site: Murphy . Mike . PHF Names Foundation Award recipients . The Ice Garden . 29 June 2023 . en . 5 May 2023.