Two defenders among PWHL Rookie of Year finalists

Field Level Media|published: 05/26/2026, 2:17pm EDT

Olympian Haley Winn during a press conference at Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. Winn was a defenseman as Team USA earned gold with a 2-1 win over Canada in the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy.

Nicole Gosling of the Montreal Victoire, Casey O'Brien of the New York Sirens and Haley Winn of the Boston Fleet were named the finalists for the 2026 PWHL Rookie of the Year award on Tuesday.

Gosling and Winn, former teammates at Clarkson University, are the first two defenders to be voted finalists for the award. The winner will be announced on June 16 in Detroit.

Gosling, 24, tied for second in scoring among PWHL rookies with 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 30 games and led all PWHL blueliners with a plus-16 rating.

O'Brien, 24, topped all rookies with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 28 games. The forward was the only rookie to post a hat trick (Dec. 28 vs. the Seattle Torrent).

Winn, 22, tied for second in rookie scoring with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 30 games and led all PWHL skaters in total ice time (802:42).

Winn, O'Brien and Gosling were selected with the Nos. 2-4 picks in the 2025 PWHL Draft, respectively.

New York forward Sarah Fillier was the Rookie of the Year in 2025 and Minnesota forward Grace Zumwinkle earned the honor in 2024.

--Field Level Media