Projecting the PWHL’s 2025-26 rookie of the year winner
With the 2025-26 PWHL season a few months away, everyone’s starting to get excited about what is going to commence in the league’s third year of operation.
With a fresh cut of talent entering the league this year, each of the eight teams has a rookie or two who’s going to be an impact player in their first year in the league. The consensus heading into last season was that first-overall pick Sarah Fillier was going to be named the PWHL’s Rookie of the Year, and the New York Sirens star proved everyone right.
This year, with so much talent coming out of the 2025 PWHL Draft, it’s anyone’s guess who will shine the most in their freshman campaigns. Here’s my early watch list for the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year.
Casey O’ Brien (F, New York Sirens)
Let’s start with a player who’s coming into the league with loads of team and individual accolades. O’Brien capped off a terrific career at the University of Wisconsin, winning a third NCAA Championship and capturing the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best player in women’s college hockey.
The Sirens’ third-overall pick had one of the most dominant seasons in recent history, leading the country with 88 points (no one else had more than 72). O’Brien has proven her speed and vision are outstanding, worthy of playing for the U.S. National Team in my opinion.
While she joins a New York team that has struggled in its short history, having the chance to be paired with someone like Fillier or the next person on this list could lead to a very successful rookie season.
Kristýna Kaltounková (F, New York Sirens)
Before O’Brien’s name was called at the podium, the Sirens grabbed Kaltounková with the No. 1 pick. Despite coming out of the same conference as Fillier, and having put together a solid performance at this past year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship, expectations are a little bit smaller for the star from Czechia.
That said, with how the league has started to generate offense as a whole over the past year, the 23-year-old has an opportunity to flourish with a team expected to give her loads of ice time. Along with helping Colgate win four straight ECAC Championships, Kaltounková became the first Czech player to be a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kaz. Watch for her to carry that momentum heading into her first year as a pro.
Haley Winn (D, Boston Fleet)
I know what you’re thinking. “Tyler, you just named the top three picks.” Thank you for being so observant. Don’t worry…things will shake in a little bit.
The fact of the matter is this – Winn’s exceptional career at Clarkson University is just the tip of the iceberg for the potential she has. From her first year as a Golden Knight, she has proven to be a viable asset at both ends of the rink, averaging over 40 points in her final two years with the program, finishing second in NCAA defender scoring in 2024-25 with 46 points in 38 games.
Winn has proven how talented she is with Team USA, winning a pair of world championship gold medals over the past three years. One thing the Fleet has been lacking is a consistent offensive threat on the back end, while teams like the Minnesota Frost, Toronto Sceptres and Sirens have utilized players like Sophie Jaques, Renata Fast and Ella Shelton. With a new coach and rising star in their third-overall pick coming into the fold, Winn can quickly come into her own with a team hungry to get back into the playoffs.
Natálie Mlýnková (F, Montreal Victoire)
While the University of Minnesota hasn’t had the same championship pedigree in recent years as WCHA rivals Ohio State and Wisconsin. However, that hasn’t stopped the program from producing outstanding young players like Mlýnková.
Another player from the rising Czech National Team, the Zlin native was a steady scoring threat in her five years of college hockey. After four years of being the go-to player at Vermont, including being named Hockey East’s Player of the Year in 2024, Mlýnková transferred to Minneapolis, having the chance to play with a talented group, headlined by 2026 prospect Abbey Murphy. Even in a slightly lesser role, she was an effective member with an excellent scoring touch.
Heading to a team that just lost its top rookie last year, Jennifer Gardiner, to Vancouver in the expansion process, Mlýnková has the skillset to play on a line with someone like Marie-Philip Poulin and help the Victoire erase their playoff failures in the first two years of the league.
Ella Huber (F, Boston Fleet)
While Huber might not have the international experience as some of her Golden Gopher teammates, that didn’t deter her from being one of the best players in college hockey over the past couple of seasons. Along with captaining Minnesota to the Women’s Frozen Four last season, the Northfield, Illinois native finished second on the team in scoring behind Murphy with 48 points, good for 12th in the country.
Huber’s playmaking abilities set her apart. Her vision to find openings in the defense led to her ending up tied for sixth in the NCAA with 33 assists last season. Coming to a Fleet team that already struggled to score consistently, losing players like captain Hilary Knight and Hannah Bilka to Seattle as well, Huber will be in the top six almost immediately. It will give more than enough leeway to be one of Boston’s top offensive weapons.
Abby Hustler (F, Minnesota Frost)
Indeed a dark horse among this group, Hustler is joining a Frost team hot off winning back-to-back Walter Cups, and has a knack for showcasing first-year talent. It wasn’t that long ago that Grace Zumwinkle won the first RoY Award in 2024, and, with the right players around her, Hustler could be a very productive player as Minnesota vies for a third straight championship.
On a decent team at St. Lawrence, Hustler proved to be a standout player who can beat you in a variety of ways. Playing alongside current Seattle forward Julia Gosling with the Saints, Hustler scored an impressive 55 points in 2023-24, finishing tied for 10th in the country in scoring. The Prince Edward Island native followed that up with 39 points in 39 games as a senior, rounding out her NCAA career as a point-per-game player.
With the Frost looking to fill some holes in the lineup, Hustler has the tools to be one of the Frost’s X-factors this coming season.