Three Finalists for PWHL Defender of the Year Announced

NEW YORK AND TORONTO (May 14, 2025) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced the finalists for the 2025 Defender of the Year award. Renata Fast of the Toronto Sceptres and Minnesota Frost teammates Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson are the three players up for this prestigious accolade.

The Defender of the Year award recognizes the player who showcases outstanding defensive skills during the regular season. Fast, known for her two-way play, recorded six goals and 16 assists in 30 games, tying Jaques for the scoring lead among defenders.

Fast led the league with 63 hits and was on the ice for a total of 739 minutes and 45 seconds, cementing her role as a key player for the Sceptres. The 30-year-old from Burlington, Ontario, also began the season on a remarkable six-game point streak.

Jaques, in her second season, saw significant improvement, scoring seven goals and 15 assists, a 12-point leap from her rookie year. The 24-year-old from Toronto tied Fast with 22 points, led defenders with 75 shots on goal, and boasted an impressive plus-12 rating.

Thompson, who was the third overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft, made a remarkable impact in her debut season after a year away for medical studies. She finished with 18 points in 30 games and is notable for being the only defender to achieve a four-point game this season as well as a five-game assist streak.

The finalists were determined by a selection committee that voted on six regular-season awards, with the winners to be announced on June 25 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Ottawa. Last season, the first-ever recipient of the Defender of the Year award was Erin Ambrose of the Montreal Victoire.