The 2024-25 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season has ended. With its second season in the books, the PWHL teams now have names, and the league is solidifying itself as the premier women’s hockey league. The New York Sirens started strong in the second season but ultimately finished in last place once again. In 30 regular-season games, they only recorded eight regulation wins and 13 regulation losses. Nine of their games went into overtime, four resulted in victories, and the other five were losses. As the PWHL follows the 3-2-1 points system, the Sirens ended the 2024-25 season with 37 points. While this performance was a tough break for New York, not every player had a bad season. Let’s look at Maja Nylen Persson’s performance.
Persson’s 2024-25 Season with the Sirens
Nylen Persson was drafted fourth in the second round by New York after they traded second-round draft picks with Boston. She was the first defender selected by the Sirens, but the fifth off the board for all six teams. In her first season with the Sirens, Nylen Persson played 23 games and recorded six points via two goals and four assists. One of her two goals was both a power-play goal and a game-winning goal.
Nylen Persson played her first game with the Sirens on Dec. 1, when they played their first game against the defending champions, the Minnesota Frost. She recorded a plus-1 in this game and spent a total of 21:41 on the ice. Three games later, she recorded her first assist on Jamie Bourbonnais’ goal during the Sirens’ home opener on Dec. 18. In the next game, she recorded the second assist of her career.
She went on a two-game point hiatus, but on Jan. 7, Nylen Persson scored her first PWHL goal. While the Sirens were down by two in the third period, Nylen Persson took a shot off a feed from Micah Zandee-Hart. It wasn’t enough to give the Sirens the win, but it was still a momentous occasion for the rookie defender.
Given that she plays defender, it is surprising that Nylen Persson only recorded two penalty minutes in all her games. Her penalty was recorded on Feb. 17 against the Boston Fleet. It was in the first period for interference. Unfortunately, the Fleet capitalized on this with Alina Muller scoring a power-play goal.
In her second-to-last game of the season, Nylen Persson recorded her second PHWL goal. She scored in overtime on March 12 against the Montreal Victoire, snapping the Sirens’ nine-game losing streak. Unfortunately, on March 16, she sustained an upper-body injury against the Frost. This injury ended the 2024-25 season for Nylen Persson.
Persson’s Future with the Sirens
On Sept. 22, the Sirens announced that Nylen Persson had signed a contract extension through to the 2027-28 season. This came as a surprise, as she was already under contract through to the 2026-27 season when she signed her initial three-year deal. This extension marks four seasons Persson will at least spend on the blue line with New York.
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Most players want to win, and there is no denying that the Sirens struggled to do that last season, setting the record for the longest losing streak with nine losses in a row. Nylen Persson’s extension is a testament to the culture the team is building, as well as the belief she has in this team. Sirens fans should be excited that Nylen Persson will be with New York for at least three more seasons as the 2025-26 season gets ready to kick off.
Persson’s Overall Grade
Overall, for the 2024-25 season, Nylen Persson receives a C. She did a great job filling her role of defender when she was on the ice. Compared to others on the team, her offensive performance wasn’t the best, but she was a difference maker when she did score. Not every player can score goals and record assists every game, so Nylen Persson did a good job of filling the defender role she was selected for.
Unfortunately, her first season was cut short due to an injury towards the end, but Nylen Persson’s contract extension is a sign she is excited to continue playing with the Sirens. Hopefully, she will stay healthy throughout the 2025-26 season; the Sirens certainly need her on their blue line.
