PWHL Players of the Week: Leslie, Muller, Fast star in return from Olympic break
And we’re back!
With the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics in the books, the PWHL has returned from its first-ever midseason break, sparking the rush to the Walter Cup Playoffs across the league as teams embark on the second half of the season.
While it was a chaotic week for some — like Hilary Knight and Megan Keller, who played games and featured on Saturday Night Live — others could focus entirely on finding their way back into the rhythm with their club teams.
Here, Daily Faceoff picks out three standout players of the week.
Rebecca Leslie, F (Ottawa Charge)
PPG from Rebecca Leslie to make it even 1-1!
Having gotten a few weeks to rest and recover, Rebecca Leslie returned to stellar form with the Ottawa Charge, scoring twice as her team picked up a single point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Boston Fleet.
While she got the better of Olympic gold medal-winning goalie Aerin Frankel on two shots, her involvement throughout the game could have seen her score even more. She had one of two Charge shots in the second, where she was stopped on a breakaway, before missing the net while unmarked in the slot on the power play.
Her dynamic performance through 19:54 of ice time continued her stellar output, given she had scored twice in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Torrent in the final game before the Olympic break.
“I was definitely frustrated at times,” Leslie told the Ottawa Citizen after the game, now boasting 10 goals and 16 points in 17 outings this season. “When you get a breakaway, like two breakaways in a game, I’ve got to put those in. And a couple of Grade A’s in the slot that I missed the net on, yeah, I’ve got to execute on those as well.”
Alina Müller, F (Boston Fleet)
Alina Muller sets up Abby Newhook to put the Fleet ahead 1-0 over the Charge🏒
The next time Alina Müller comes back from the Olympics, she might be the all-time leading scorer in the women’s tournament, having surpassed the record recently attained by Mari-Philip Poulin. Yet, it’s not these Olympics, even as she returned to PWHL action with a bronze medal added to her resume.
The 27-year-old Swiss star forward kept up her scoring touch as well. Through 21:25 minutes, she scored a goal and posted an assist, helping the Boston Fleet to the 3-2 shootout win over the Ottawa Charge.
Her goal levelled the game at 2–2 in the second period, finishing a chance created by gold-medal goal scorer Megan Keller and Sussana Tappani. Still, it was her earlier assist that provided the highlight reel. To open the scoring, she sliced through the neutral zone before delaying and dishing off to Abby Newhook for the 1-0 advantage.
Now up to three goals and 11 points on the season, Müller’s rise to prominence in the PWHL has been nothing short of expected, given her outstanding collegiate career. Yet, due to not being American or Canadian, it still seems like she flies under the radar among the league’s elite.
Renata Fast, D (Toronto Sceptres)
WHAT EVEN 🤯 Renata Fast with her first goal of the season!
After playing some of the highest total minutes at the Olympics, there was no rest to be had for Renata Fast on the Toronto Sceptres blueline, playing 21:43 in her first game back against the Seattle Torrent, a dominant 5-2 victory for her team. On Sunday, she got some slight respite, playing just 18:49 in a win over the Vancouver Goldeneyes, her lowest ice time total all season.
It was her performance against the Torrent that earned her a spot among this week’s stars, with a goal and an assist in the win, first scoring for the 2-1 lead to start the second period, before setting up Emma Maltais for the eventual winning goal in the early moments of the final frame.
While there may be some movement in the coaching ranks for Team Canada moving forward, Fast has proven through the Olympics and her PWHL season so far, especially with her first goal of the season, that she is still among the best defenders in the league and should continue to play in major moments for Troy Ryan with the Sceptres, and in the next chapter of the Canadian national women’s program.