PWHL Players of the Week: Stacey, Zumwinkle, Campbell keep Walter Cup Playoff dreams alive
The month of March is entering its final week, and each PWHL team finds itself in the final third of the season, as the sprint towards the Walter Cup Playoffs ramps up.
While the Seattle Torrent are likely to miss the postseason, all seven other teams will feel they have a chance to qualify with a strong run over the next few weeks.
To do so, they’re likely to lean on some of the most reliable players in the league, including three who cracked the latest edition of Daily Faceoff’s Players of the Week.
Grace Zumwinkle, F (Minnesota Frost)
Grace Zumwinkle has been one of the most consistent players in the PWHL since the league began, and the latest week of games proved just how valuable she can be to the Minnesota Frost’s hopes in each game.
This week, the 26-year-old netted two goals in a 4-3 win against the New York Sirens, then added a goal and an assist for another two-point night, helping her team to a thunderous 5–0 win over the Ottawa Charge.
Brb picking our jaws up off the floor
GRACE ZUMWINKLE AND IT'S 2-0 FROST
While she has always played significant minutes since beginning her PWHL career, this week’s games saw her ramp up her minutes each time out. Against New York, she played just over 14 minutes before rising to 15 and 16 minutes against Ottawa and the Vancouver Goldeneyes, despite being held off the scoresheet in the final game of the week.
Now up to nine goals and 15 points, she is likely to finish the season with a career high in both categories, with her previous records dating back to the inaugural season when she scored eight goals and 19 points in 24 regular-season contests.
Laura Stacey, F (Montréal Victoire)
When Laura Stacey came into the PWHL’s inaugural season, she already boasted one of the most successful resumes in women’s hockey. Now three years on, she’s still delivering at a top level at 31 years old, with a two-goal, two-assist week earning her a nod among this week’s best performers.
In the Montréal Victoire’s 5-1 win over the Seattle Torrent, Stacey found the back of the net twice and added an assist, marking her first game with three or more points since March 26, 2025, a night where she had two goals and a pair of assists against the Minnesota Frost.
Laura freaking Stacey 👑 📺: Torrent 🆚 Victoire live on SNE or stream on Sportsnet+
While her usual linemate and wife Marie-Philip Poulin was held out of the lineup, Stacey elevated her game on the top line, driving an attacking force alongside center Abby Roque and wing partner Catherine Dubois.
While cresting her 2024-25 totals of 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points may be challenging in the final third of the season, beating her assist total — already being at five goals and 10 assists — should be possible.
Kristen Campbell, G (Vancouver Goldeneyes)
The Vancouver Goldeneyes have had games in hand and are leaning on those opportunities to make a late-season push towards the Walter Cup playoffs in their inaugural campaign. Kristen Campbell, who picked up after moving on from the Toronto Sceptres last season, has played a big part in their current rise to form.
Over the past week, Campbell turned aside 42 of 46 shots, including several breakaways and chances from the slot, as her Vancouver team continued to surrender valuable chances in scoring areas. Still, she is back to near her best, bringing a chorus of “Souuuuuuuup,” chants to the Pacific Coliseum.
Without her standout play and impressive form since the Olympic break, raising her save percentage to .910 on the season, Vancouver would likely be looking at a Gold Plan PWHL Draft strategy rather than aiming for a late push to the playoffs.