Ottawa Charge Draft Pick Gwyneth Philips Excited to be Playing in PWHL

Last year, when the PWHL originated, goalie Gwyneth Philips knew deep down that it was somewhere she wanted to play.

At the time, this 24- 24-year-old from Athens, Ohio, was in her fifth and final year playing women’s collegiate hockey at Northeastern University, where in that final season, she played 37 games and posted a solid 23-11-3 record along with a 1.17 GAA and .955 Save Percentage.

One of the numerous highlights of playing for Northeastern was the experience of playing in front of nearly 11,000 enthusiastic fans at TD Garden in the women’s 2024 Beanpot competition.

“It was the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of, and it was so cool,” she said.

During her illustrious collegiate career, Philips built up quite an impressive playing resumé.

After her fourth year playing for Northeastern, Philips, who in 34 games went 34-3-1 with a 0.87 Save Percentage along with 10 shutouts, was named NCAA First Team All American along with the NCAA Women’s Goalie of the Year and the NCAA Top Female Collegiate Player (Patty Kazmaier Award) Finals.

Philips would have some more hardware headed her way as she received, in her fifth and final year, the NCAA Women’s First Team All-American honours along with the NCAA Top Female Collegiate Player (Patty Kazmaier Award Finals) award and the World Championship Womens Silver Medalist.

Not long after wrapping up a solid college career, the ultimate thrill of playing in the PWHL became much closer when, on June 10, 2024, the Ottawa Charge selected Philips in the third round, 14th overall.

“At the start of senior year, when the PWHL began, I was excited and really optimistic,” Philips said. “I had friends going into the league. I saw its success, and I thought that’s something I really want to join. It’s so cool to play hockey for a living, and you can’t get any better than that. I’m very thankful for this.”

Philips also couldn’t say enough about the Ottawa fanbase. “The people get so excited,” Philips said. “They come to the games and cheer. They recognize us on the street, which is so cool. It’s just so cool all the support we get.”

She also went on to add, “Ottawa is a great city. The people are really friendly. “Ottawa has a great culture. I was told how fun Ottawa is, and they were right.”

From the start, Philips has enjoyed the city of Ottawa, which she believes is similar to Boston, where Northeastern is located.

Following her collegiate career, which saw Philips play 91 games for Northeastern and post a 70-15-4 record with 22 shutouts, 0.96 GAA and a .958 Save Percentage, Philips had to wait a few games before getting that much-anticipated first PWHL start.

Serving as Ottawa’s backup goalie, Philips made her debut on Thursday, December 19, in Minnesota, where she made 35 saves in a 5-2 loss against the Minnesota Frost.

“I like to practice to stay ready,” Philips said. “I’m looking forward to showing what I can do. I want to show my teammates what I’m capable of as a backup goalie. To prove to my team that I can do the job.”

When asked about making the jump to PWHL and her strengths, Philips remarked, “Everything is a little faster. I think I have good lateral speed and can read the play well.”

In terms of going in the third round, Philips remarked, “Goalies usually go high. I just wanted to prove my worth that they made the right decision.”

It’s safe to say that the Ottawa Charge has been the perfect fit for Philips.

Photos: PWHL/Ottawa