FILE - New York Sirens forward Sarah Fillier (10) reacts after the Toronto Sceptres scored an empty net goal during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Toronto, Saturday Jan. 25, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

By The Canadian Press

Fillier motivated to transform re-tooled Sirens into PWHL contenders after 2 last-place finishes

Nov 19, 2025 | 11:58 AM

If Sarah Fillier’s aspirations involve her becoming the best women’s hockey player in the world, the New York Sirens center is hardly satisfied following her PWHL rookie of the year season.

For all the times she produced in finishing tied with Hilary Knight for the league lead with 29 points, Fillier spent the offseason instead focusing on the opportunities she missed that contributed to New York ending up last in the standings for a second straight year.

“There were moments that I had the game on my stick and we just couldn’t put the puck in the back of the net,” the 25-year-old said, referring to how New York fell out of contention during a nine-game midseason skid. “If you want to be the best in the world, those are moments that define you.”

Unaccustomed to losing, the former Princeton star and 2022 Team Canada Olympic gold-medalist has plenty of motivation as the Sirens kick off the PWHL’s third season at Ottawa on Saturday. And Fillier has reinforcements to accompany her after the Sirens restocked their lineup with high-caliber draft talent.

After selecting Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova with the No. 1 pick, general manager Pascal Daoust acquired the No. 3 selection in a trade with Toronto, and used it to choose NCAA women’s hockey MVP Casey O’Brien.

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Add in the addition of second-round pick Anne Cherkowski, who combined for 147 points in 168 career college games, and the Sirens feature the league’s top young forward lineups.

The additions offset the veteran talent the Sirens lost through trades and the expansion process. Forwards Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge signed with Seattle. New York traded high-scoring defenseman Ella Shelton to Toronto to land the No. 3 pick, and also dealt Abby Roque to Montreal to acquire Team Canada forward Kristen O’Neill.

With Fillier as the centerpiece, Kaltounkova, O’Brien, O’Neill and Cherkowski provide coach Greg Fargo numerous options to fill out his top two lines.

“It’s new. It’s exciting,” the second-year coach said. “Every year, to a certain extent, feels like a fresh start. But with the amount of turnover that we’ve had, this is a new team.”

It’s a boost the Sirens could use after struggling to generate wins and fan attention playing out of the NHL Devils home in Newark, New Jersey.

Fargo is particularly familiar with Kaltounkova in having coached her during his previous stint at Colgate. From the Czech Republic, Kaltounkova is the first European-born player taken first in the PWHL draft, and coming off a college career in which she set a program record with 111 goals, and ranks second with 233 points in 171 games.

O’Brien is enjoying a homecoming after she grew up playing hockey at New York City’s Chelsea Piers. She’s a two-way, play-making center who led the nation with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists) in 41 games during her graduate season at Wisconsin.

“I think there’s a lot of noise around that, changing what’s happened the past two seasons,” O’Brien said. “It’s going to be easy for us to step in and have a new culture, a new team right off the bat.”

On defense, the Sirens return captain Micah Zandee-Hart, Maja Nylen Persson and Jaime Bourbonnais, while adding Jincy Roese in free agency.

New York is young in net after losing two-year starter Corinne Schroeder, who signed with Seattle. Kayle Osborne, who made her Team Canada debut this month, returns after going 2-4-3 in her rookie season. And she’s joined by rookie draft picks Callie Shanahan and Kacey Doyle.

Fillier, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 PWHL draft, is refreshed and driven to make an impact in New York after signing a two-year contract in July.

“We can build something really exciting,” Fillier said.

“Really enjoy Greg as a coach and I’m along for the ride with the vision he has for us,” she added. “If you look at the talent we got out of our college players, we could have a really dangerous roster.”

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

John Wawrow, The Associated Press