TORONTO AND NEW YORK (May 6, 2024) – New York defender Ella Shelton, Toronto right wing Natalie Spooner, and Boston right wing Hilary Knight have been named the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) ‘3 Stars of the Week’ for the week ending May 5.
FIRST STAR – ELLA SHELTON, D, NEW YORK
Shelton is named first star of the week for the first time this season after leading all PWHL players in scoring last week. In two games played, Shelton had six points (2G, 4A), leading PWHL New York to two straight regulation victories. The 26-year-old had back-to-back three-point efforts, matching her season-high from January 14. First, on April 30 against Ottawa, Shelton had a goal and two assists — all in the second frame—helping New York storm back from a 2-0 deficit en route to a 4-3 win, which secured the first overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft for her team. Shelton followed up that performance by again recording a goal and two assists, as New York defeated Minnesota 5-2 on May 4. Three of Shelton’s four assists last week were primary, and she added eight shots on goal, averaging nearly 25 minutes through two games. With her offensive output, Shelton took over the scoring race among all PWHL defenders, finishing the season with 21 points (7G, 14A)—three more than the next highest-scoring defender. When the PWHL regular season officially came to an end on Sunday, Shelton sat fifth in scoring in the league.
SECOND STAR – NATALIE SPOONER, RW, TORONTO
Spooner is named as one of the PWHL’s 3 Stars of the Week for the fifth time this season as the forward continued her torrid scoring pace last week. Spooner tallied four goals across two games, notching two goals in each match while clinching the game-winning goal in both. The 33-year-old kicked off her stellar week in a battle against Minnesota on May 1, as she scored her league-leading sixth powerplay marker — the game’s winner — and added a highlight-reel breakaway tally to secure the win for her team. In the PWHL’s final regular season game on May 5, Spooner added to her league-leading goal total with two more tallies, including her seventh powerplay goal and fifth game-winner— also tops in the PWHL— in a 5-2 win against Ottawa, as she ended her season with 20 goals in 24 games. With the inaugural PWHL regular season wrapped up, Spooner officially claimed the league’s first two awards: 2024 PWHL Points Leader (20-7—27) and 2024 PWHL Top Goal Scorer (20).
THIRD STAR – HILARY KNIGHT, RW, BOSTON
Knight is named as one of the PWHL’s 3 Stars of the Week for the first time as Boston’s captain recorded her second multi-point game of the season in her lone contest last week—and her timing couldn’t have been better. With Boston needing at least one point against Montréal to stay alive in the playoff race, Knight put up a goal and an assist, leading her team to a 4-3 regulation victory in thrilling fashion, securing three points in the standings. The 34-year-old got her team on the board first, out-muscling a Montréal defender to notch her sixth goal of the season. Knight then demonstrated her playmaking ability, threading the needle through traffic to set up Megan Keller in the second period. With her team’s season on the line, Knight played 27:30 and added five shots on goal.
After the regular season, Natalie Spooner is the ‘3 Stars of the Week’ leader with 100 points. Ottawa’s Brianne Jenner sits second with 70 points, while Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) and Sarah Nurse (TOR) are for third place with 60 points apiece.
The ‘3 Stars of the Week’ will continue throughout the PWHL postseason. Points will be awarded to each selection and will help determine rankings at the end of PWHL Playoffs.
First Star = 30 Points
Second Star = 20 Points
Third Star = 10 Points
Standings:
1. Natalie Spooner (TOR) = 100 Points
2. Brianne Jenner (OTT) = 70 Points
T3. Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) = 60 Points
T3. Sarah Nurse (TOR) = 60 Points
T5. Ella Shelton (NY) = 50 Points
T5. Daryl Watts (OTT) = 50 Points
T7. Kristen Campbell (TOR) = 40 Points
T7. Alex Carpenter (NY) = 40 Points
T7. Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN) = 40 Points
T7. Alina Müller (BOS) = 40 Points
T11. Erin Ambrose (MTL) = 30 Points
T11. Claire Dalton (MTL) = 30 Points
T11. Kateřina Mrázová (OTT) = 30 Points
T11. Grace Zumwinkle (MIN) = 30 Points
T15. Michela Cava (MIN) = 20 Points
T15. Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) = 20 Points
T15. Jade Downie-Landry (NY) = 20 Points
T15. Aerin Frankel (BOS) = 20 Points
T15. Sophie Jaques (MIN) = 20 Points
T21. Hannah Brandt (BOS) = 10 Points
T21. Renata Fast (TOR) = 10 Points
T21. Kali Flanagan (Tor) = 10 Points
T21. Taylor Heise (MIN) = 10 Points
T21. Hilary Knight (BOS) = 10 Points
T21. Abby Roque (NY) = 10 Points
T21. Corinne Schroeder (NY) = 10 Points