Toronto Sceptres star Renata Fast and Minnesota Frost duo Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson are the finalists for the PWHL's 2025 Defender of the Year award, the league announced Wednesday.
A selection committee votes for the annual honor, which recognizes "the defender who showcases the most outstanding ability at the position throughout the regular season."
Fast was tied for first among all PWHL defenders with 22 points in 30 games, and she led the league in hits (63) and time on ice (24:39 per contest). She also shared the league lead in assists (16) and power-play points (13).
The 30-year-old opened the campaign with a six-game point streak - the longest by a defender in the 2024-25 season.
Jaques exploded offensively this year with 22 points in 25 contests after notching 10 in 22 outings as a rookie last season. She led the league in points per game by a rearguard and ranked fourth overall. Despite missing five games due to injury, Jaques still topped every defender with 75 shots on goal, 13 more than the next closest blue-liner.
The 24-year-old is one of two defenders to win the Patty Kazmaier Award as the NCAA's best women's hockey player, with the other being Hockey Hall of Famer Angela Ruggiero.
Thompson returned to hockey in style after a year away while focusing on medical school. The Frost drafted her third overall in 2024, and she made a significant impact immediately. Thompson ranked third among defenders with 18 points in 30 games while leading the PWHL with 11 primary assists.
The 27-year-old tallied four points on Dec. 19 to set a PWHL single-game record by a blue-liner.
All three finalists are Canadian and represented their nation at the World Championship in April.
The PWHL awards ceremony is scheduled for June 25 at 11:30 a.m. ET.