The 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season is now in full swing, with it beginning the weekend of Nov. 21. Although it started late in November, the New York Sirens have already played three of their 30 games. The Sirens have kicked off their season with a record of 2-0-0-1 and have already had some strong performances out of the gate. Let’s look at who the three stars of November are for the Sirens.
Honorable Mention: Kristyna Kaltounkova
Before we get into the official three stars of the month, let’s take a look at an honorable mention. Kristyna Kaltounkova was the first overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft. She made history as the first European player selected first overall in the PWHL, as she is from Czechia.
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Kaltounkova scored her first PWHL goal in New York’s home opener on Saturday, Nov. 29. Micah Zandee-Hart tried to take a shot, and her shot couldn’t make it through traffic. Kaltounkova picked up the loose puck and sent it past Kristen Campbell for the Sirens’ fifth goal of the game.
There is a lot of pressure on Kaltounkova’s shoulders with her being the first overall pick of the 2025 Draft. Sarah Fillier was the Sirens’ first overall pick in the 2024 Draft and had a strong performance in her first PWHL season. There will be a lot of comparison between Fillier and Kaltounkova’s first seasons as the 2025-26 season continues, but there shouldn’t be. They are two different but strong individualistic players. They each have their own play style, and they will find strong success in New York.
Third Star: Maddi Wheeler
Maddi Wheeler was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 PWHL Draft by the Sirens and has already made an incredible impact. She made her way into the first game of the 2025-26 season and recorded three assists. Not only did she earn assists, but she also had plenty of scoring chances, recording four shots.
She played on the third line alongside Elle Hartje and Taylor Girard. Although she was in the bottom six, this was the only forward group to find success in their first game, thanks in large part to Wheeler.
Second Star: Kayle Osborne
Kayle Osborne started the season with mounting pressure on her shoulders. Last season, she was the backup goaltender for Corinne Schroeder. With her getting picked up by Seattle in the expansion draft and Abbey Levy signing with the Boston Fleet during the offseason, Osborne has now become New York’s starting goaltender. She has already defended the crease in all three of New York’s games, and her performance has earned her the second star of the month.
In just her first game of the season, Osborne recorded a shutout. She stopped all 28 shots the Ottawa Charge took in the game. The Charge last played in the Walter Cup Finals, and as they were playing in their home opener, they were on the search for a strong performance; Osborne put a quick stop to that.
The Montreal Victoire gave the Sirens a taste of their own medicine in their next game on Nov. 25, when they shut out New York 3-0. Osborne still put up a good performance, stopping 26 of Montreal’s shots.
In their home opener against the Vancouver Goldeneyes, Osborne only allowed one goal. The Sirens had major control of the puck all game, only allowing Vancouver 21 shots on the net.
Osborne has had her first three starts of the season and has already had a strong performance in her first season as a starting goaltender. There is still plenty of the season left to play, but Osborne is already playing very well.
First Star: Taylor Girard
The first star of the month is, of course, none other than Taylor Girard. She scored the first goal of the 2025-26 season for the Sirens in Ottawa on Nov. 22. However, she didn’t stop there. She went on to score two more in the Sirens’ season opener, earning her first PWHL hat trick. She scored all three goals in the third period, becoming the first PWHL player to record a hat trick in the span of one period.
Girard’s hat trick gave her a strong start to the season. She started her PWHL career in Boston, and in the middle of the 2024-25 season, she was traded to New York. This season is her first full season with the Sirens after playing 18 games with the team last season. She meshed well with the team then, but now she is finding her footing even more.
Sirens Kick Off December in Seattle
The Sirens will start the first full month of 2025-26 with their first West Coast road trip of the season. They’ll have their first game of the season against the Seattle Torrent on Dec. 3 at Climate Pledge Arena.
