Heise, Jenner, Pannek named finalists for 2026 PWHL Forward of the Year award
Three of the best players in the league this season are in line to take home some hardware.
On Tuesday, the PWHL announced that Minnesota Frost forwards Kelly Pannek and Taylor Heise, as well as Ottawa Charge captain Brianne Jenner, have been named the finalists of the 2025-26 Forward of the Year award.
Pannek is considered by some to be the favorite for the award, as she was the league’s best offensive weapon this season. The Plymouth, Minn. native had posted a combined 27 points across her first two seasons in the league, but exploded for an incredible 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in the 30-game season, setting a new PWHL record for points in a single season, while also leading the league in goals. It earned Pannek both the Top Goal Scorer and Points Leader Awards, making her the second player in league history to accomplish the feat.
Pannek was the first of two players to reach the 30-point mark this season, an accomplishment not yet seen prior to this campaign. The other player was Heise. A vaunted playmaker, the 26-year-old showed her goal-scoring prowess this past season, posting a career-best 13 goals during the regular season, finishing second in the league behind Pannek with an even 30 points in 30 appearances.
Both players helped the Frost finish with a PWHL record 91 goals scored during the regular season, pushing the team to the Walter Cup Playoffs for the third year in a row.
Jenner also saw herself have a career year. The longtime Canadian nationalist had never scored double-digit goals in a single season before 2025-26, only reaching 20 points during the league’s inaugural season. This year, she notched 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points, good for fourth in the league in scoring. Jenner also finished tied for fourth in the PWHL with three game-winning goals. She was a key player in Ottawa reaching the postseason for the second year in a row, with the team reaching the Walter Cup Finals once again.