A little over six weeks after Hilary Knight, 33, led the United States to victory at the women’s world championship, she was the undisputed winner of the IIF’s first female player of the year award on Thursday.

She won handily and decisively with 40.9% of the total votes. Teammate Caroline Harvey came in second in the voting with 18.2%, followed by Slovakia’s teenage sensation Nela Lopusanova with 13.6%. Jenni Hiirikoski, the captain of Finland, came in fourth place with 11.3%, 카지노사이트 followed by Sarah Filler of Canada, 9.1%, Emma Soderberg of Sweden, 4.5%, and Marie-Philip Poulin of Canada, 2.3%.

Members of the media from 16 different nations and the relevant IIHF Family conducted the voting. The trophy’s first year is now in way. Later this month, the IIHF Male Player of the Year will be announced.

“I am honored to be the first recipient of such a prestigious award,” Knight said last night when informed of the results by IIHF President Luc Tardif. “There are many talented women at this level, and it is a privilege to be recognized as the IIHF Female Player of the Year.”

At the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Brampton, Ontario, Knight, 33, led the U.S. women’s national team to a gold medal while leading all scorers with eight goals. In the gold-medal game versus Canada, she scored three goals, including the game-winning one. This was Knight’s third time scoring the game-winning goal in a gold-medal victory.

Knight has the most goals and points among all world championship players with 61 goals and 101 points in 13 tournament appearances. Knight’s ninth gold of her career, which tied Danielle Goyette of Canada’s individual career record, was the 10th for the United States and their first since 2019.

In addition, ESPN analyst Knight became the first female player to accumulate 100 career points in the competition.

Knight, who has previously won a gold and three silver medals in four Olympic competitions, has served as the face of the American women’s squad.

According to the IIHF, the prize is given to the player who during the previous season most embodied remarkable talent, tenacity, team success, and 메이저사이트 sporting character on and off the ice. Players are evaluated based on their overall results in domestic leagues and federation competitions.

“The sport and the women who play it deserve the largest stage and biggest spotlight,” Knight adds. “My hope is that the sport continues to grow and reach greater heights. Although hockey is a team sport, having awards and accolades that acknowledge accomplishments help drive more visibility. Thank you, IIHF, for creating this award, as it is important to recognize outstanding athletic performances.”

The IIHF will start awarding player of the year prizes in 2023, with the men’s prize being given out later this month.