The PWHL as a league is gaining steam and has arguably had its best season to date. Many players are rising to the occasion and proving they belong in the game while teams are staying competitive during what seems to be the league getting better through parity. This season has been fun to watchbut who stands out individually? Here are the top three candidates for the BIllie Jean King MVP award.
Aerin Frankel
Boston Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel has been nothing short of amazing since her PWHL debut in 2024-25. Her name is constantly being said due to her great performances between the pipes. Her greatness has been due to her competitive nature, her quickness, and her rebound control. Right now, there is not a goaltender that comes close to her in the league.
For Boston this season, she has a record of 16-3-2 with a 1.17 goals against average, a .954 save percentage, and seven shutouts. She has the best goals against average in the league and the most wins. She became the first goaltender in PWHL history to record three straight shutouts, all this season. The 26-year-old Frankel could walk away with this award as well as the goaltender of the year award. She has guided Boston to a 12-5-2-4 record, first overall in the league.
Kelly Pannek
Minnesota Frost forward Kelly Pannek has been one of the hottest players being talked about and the talk is well deserved. In 23 games this season she has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. She leads the league in goals and points and her point total thus far is a career high. She is on fire this season as she leads MInnesota in being the highest-scoring team in the league. Her point total this season has doubled since last season, her first in the league. The Plymouth, Minnesota native has led the Frost to an 11-3-3-5 record this season, good for third place overall.
Taylor Heise
Another bright spot for the high-scoring Frost squad has been Taylor Heise. While Pannek has garnered most of the attention, we should not look past her teammate Heise. She is also a top scorer in the league with eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 23 games. Her playmaking skills set her apart from most as she leads the league in assists with 15. She is second in the league in scoring, one point ahead of Frost teammate, Britta Curl-Salemme.
Heise has been with the Minnesota franchise since day one and is having her best season yet. With the trio of Heise, Pannek, and Curl- Salemme, the PWHL could have some MVP award winners from the same tema for the forseeable future.
The PWHL is in a good place right now. Attendance is up, viewership is up, the league is getting more ttention, and the players are getting better and better. With Frankel, Heise, and Pannek at the top of the MVP voting whoever wins will have deserved the honor as we cannot go wrong with the player that walks away with this award. All are deserving and all are having amazing seasons. Each of them is setting the tone in a different way and we could be looking at three players to push this league for years to come.