PWHL announced six stars for the month of May

NEW YORK AND TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced the PWHL Starting Six for May, recognizing the top three forwards, two defenders and one goaltender based on their performance over the previous month, including the postseason game played on April 30. Forwards are selected regardless of position. The PWHL Starting Six is voted on each month by the Women’s Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) and PWHL broadcast personnel.

The PWHL Starting Six have been recognized as: Rebecca Leslie (F – Ottawa Charge), Marie-Philip Poulin (F – Montréal Victoire), Abby Roque (F – Montréal Victoire), Maggie Flaherty (D – Montréal Victoire), Sidney Morin (D – Minnesota Frost), Ann-Renée Desbiens (G – Montréal Victoire).

REBECCA LESLIE, F, OTTAWA CHARGE

Leslie was a key driver of the Charge’s playoff push, registering a team-high six points in eight games (4G, 2A), double her previous postseason high from 2025. The 30-year-old finished tied-for-first with four playoff goals and fourth among all playoff skaters in points. She joined Michela Cava as one of only two players on Ottawa’s playoff roster with at least 10 career postseason points, becoming one of eight players all-time to reach the double-digit milestone. The highlight of the Ottawa, ON native’s third playoff campaign came in front of a record hometown crowd at Canadian Tire Centre, when she netted the first game-winning goal of her postseason career to complete Ottawa’s comeback win in the final minute of regulation in Game 3 of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals against Montréal. Leslie also posted the fourth-most shots on goal (21) and a 19.0 shooting percentage, which ranked fourth among players with at least 10 shots on goal.

MARIE-PHILIP POULIN, F, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE

Poulin delivered a standout postseason performance that earned her the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award, co-leading the league with eight points (2G, 6A) in nine games. Her total tied the PWHL record for most points in a single playoff campaign, matching marks reached by Roque, Lee Stecklein (2025), Cava (2024), and Taylor Heise (2024). Each of her two goals were game-winning tallies in the semifinal series against Minnesota, and her six assists led the league and matched the single-postseason record set by Heise and Claire Thompson in 2025. The Montréal captain also recorded 28 shots on goal, tied with linemate Laura Stacey for the most among playoff skaters. At the faceoff dot, she registered 85 wins in 156 attempts, ranking third in the postseason. Poulin is now one of 14 members of the PWHL’s Triple Gold Club, a group comprised of players who have won a Walter Cup, Olympic gold, and World Championship gold medal in their careers.

ABBY ROQUE, F, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE

Roque made an immediate impact in her first-ever playoff campaign, tying Poulin for the league lead and PWHL postseason record with eight points (4G, 4A). The 28-year-old’s four goals tied for most in the playoffs, while her four assists tied for second in the league with Stacey. Roque scored all four of her postseason goals against Ottawa, half of which counted as game winners—matching the league high for a single playoff campaign (Emily Clark – 2025; Susanna Tapani – 2024). She recorded multi-goal performances in Game 1 of the finals and the Walter Cup-clinching Game 4, becoming just the second player in PWHL history to record a pair of multi-goal postseason games, and the first to do so in a single series. Roque posted the highest shooting percentage among players with more than three shots on goal (26.7), led the league in hits (19), and was one of only two players to score a shorthanded goal this postseason.

MAGGIE FLAHERTY, D, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE

Flaherty became the first three-time Walter Cup champion in PWHL history, earning her Victoire title following back-to-back wins with the Frost. The 25-year-old recorded her strongest postseason yet, tallying three goals and one assist in nine games to tie for the scoring lead among defenders. Her three goals ranked second among league rearguards and nearly matched her career-high of four goals in 30 regular-season games in 2025-26. The Lakeville, MN native recorded 16 shots on goal—one more than her combined total from the 2024 and 2025 playoffs—and tied for third at her position. She was one of four defenders with a game-winning goal this postseason, netting Montréal’s overtime winner in Game 2 of the final series. Flaherty now leads all PWHL defenders with five career game-winning goals, including two in the postseason.

SIDNEY MORIN, D, MINNESOTA FROST

Morin made an instrumental impact, scoring four of the Frost’s 10 goals in five games this postseason to tie Stecklein’s PWHL record for most goals by a defender in a single playoff run. The 30-year-old’s four goals matched her career regular-season total across 84 games and earned her a share of the league lead, while her four points also co-led all defenders. She opened her postseason with a shorthanded goal in Game 1 of the semifinals, becoming the first defender and one of only four players in league history to record a ‘jailbreak’ goal in the playoffs, and is the only player in PWHL history to register a power-play, shorthanded, and game-winning goal in a single postseason. The Minnetonka, MN native led all playoff defenders with 0.80 points per game and a 21.1 shooting percentage, and tied Nicole Gosling for the positional lead with 19 shots on goal.

ANN-RENÉE DESBIENS, G, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE

Desbiens produced a stellar playoff campaign, setting a new single-postseason record with eight consecutive games allowing two or fewer goals. The 32-year-old from Clermont, QC led playoff goaltenders with a 1.40 goals-against average and .944 save percentage, both postseason career highs. She surpassed 2,000 career saves and led all playoff netminders with 234 saves on 248 shots faced, both of which rank as the third-highest totals all-time in their respective categories. Desbiens was the only goaltender to record a shutout this postseason and became the first to post two shutouts in a single playoff run since Nicole Hensley, Maddie Rooney, and Kristen Campbell in 2024. The Victoire netminder is also one of five Montréal players to join the Triple Gold Club, highlighting a career that includes a Walter Cup, Olympic gold, and World Championship gold medal.

ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S HOCKEY LEAGUE (PWHL)

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. As of the 2025-26 season, it is comprised of eight teams — Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver — with Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose added as the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th teams ahead of the 2026-27 season. Launched on January 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in Canada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris Poll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social media @thepwhlofficial.