SAINT PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Toronto’s Natalie Spooner was named the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player and Forward of the Year on Tuesday.

The member of the Canadian national team was the PWHL scoring leader with 20 goals and seven assists in the league's inaugural season. She was chosen over New York’s Alex Carpenter and Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin.

Spooner had a son in late 2022 and did not skate for six months leading up to the season, so she wasn't sure how she would perform.

“I probably wouldn’t have thought that it would have gone this way," she said. “I think I was just super grateful to be playing again, to be back on the team. I think I was just really excited to get back out there with the girls, but I never thought that I’d be able to have, I guess, as big of an impact as I was able to have with the team.”

Greg Fargo is leaving Colgate University after 12 seasons to take over as head coach of the New York team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, the league announced on Friday.

The 41-year-old Fargo led a Colgate women’s hockey program to seven 20-win seasons and five NCAA Tournament berths — including two Frozen Four appearances — and was the ECAC’s coach of the year in 2021. He takes over a New York team that finished last in the six-team league’s first season. He replaces Howie Draper, who stepped down to resume his former job coaching the University of Alberta women’s hockey program.

Fargo’s hiring comes days before the PWHL holds its second annual draft on Monday, with New York holding the No. 1 pick. His hiring could alter draft projections, which had Princeton’s Sarah Fillier regarded as the top pick.

Fargo had a 255-147-34 record at Colgate and has an overall record of 334-170-39 after a four-year stint at Elmira College. From Kingston, Ontario, Fargo was also an assistant coach on Canada’s U-18 team that won a silver medal at the 2016 women’s world championships.