Zumwinkle, Maltais, Müller Announced as Rookie of the Year Finalists

On Tuesday the PWHL announced the three finalists for the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award. The three finalists, all forwards, are Toronto’s Emma Maltais, Boston’s Alina Müller, and Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle. 

Toronto's Maltais is tied for the top spot in points scored by a rookie with 19, good for seventh place league-wide. The Ohio State graduate has been a key contributor for Toronto this season, with a team-leading 15 assists on the year. Additionally, she's fourth in goal-scoring for Toronto with four of her own tallies.

Müller led Boston in scoring at the end of the season with 16 points. On a low scoring Boston team, Müller was ranked first on the team in assists (11) and second in goals (five). Of the team's four power play goals this season, Müller has two. She is the third-highest scoring rookie behind Maltais and Zumwinkle, and is tied for 13th overall in the league. 

Last but not least, Zumwinkle finished the regular season as the other top scorer in rookies across the league and led Minnesota with 19 total points. Zumwinkle was the first player in PWHL history to record a hat trick, and since has finished the season with 11 goals, the second-highest mark in the PWHL. Her eight assists were good for second-best on Minnesota, and her 19 total points put her in seventh overall in league scoring (tied with Maltais).

To be considered for Rookie of the Year, players had to be 25 or younger to start the season and be playing in their first professional season in North America. The winner will be announced in June following the conclusion of the postseason.