Team Minnesota wins big in 2024 PWHL Awards

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The hardware isn’t done being handed out to PWHL Minnesota.

While they took home the title as a team on Tuesday at the PWHL Awards after winning the inaugural Walter Cup championship, it was also a chance for individual players and coaches in the league to get recognized.

The day after the PWHL Draft, players gathered in the ballroom of St. Paul’s Intercontinental Hotel. 

Minnesota players Sophie Jacques and Grace Zumwinkle made the all-rookie team, and Zumwinkle took home one of the biggest awards: rookie of the year. 

“Growing up in the state of hockey, you go to a Wild game and you’re like, ‘OK, this is professional hockey but it’s all guys.’ And so the biggest or highest level that you’d go see is maybe a Gopher game,” Zumwinkle said. “And I think now seeing the little girls come to the PWHL games, it’s just like you have something to dream for, and I think the fans have been awesome here in Minnesota and I hope that will only increase next year.”

The biggest award of the night went to Toronto’s Natalie Spooner, who got the MVP Award presented by Billie Jean King herself. 

The award ceremony marks the official end of the first-ever PWHL season. The new season starts this fall.