MONTREAL — Sarah Fillier has long stood out as one of the best players in hockey.
The list of accolades includes an Olympic gold medal and three world championship crowns.
Despite all that international success, the New York Sirens rookie forward believes her game has reached new heights in the Professional Women's Hockey League.
"The best hockey of my career," the 24-year-old from Georgetown, Ont., said of this season's output after practice earlier this week. "I've had a ton of experience to grow with so far."
Fillier helped Canada top the podium at the 2022 Beijing Games and is set to pull on the red Maple Leaf again when her country defends its world title in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia, beginning April 10.
She was the slam-dunk No. 1 pick at last June's PWHL draft after putting up 93 goals and 101 assists in 120 NCAA games across four seasons at Princeton University.
No longer burdened by the rigorous school demands that trumped practice and training, Fillier is eating, sleeping and breathing hockey in her first pro season.
"It's massive," said the MVP of the 2023 worlds. "Going to an Ivy League school, your whole day is consumed by academics. You could be on a bus ride to a playoff game and you're writing an exam.
"But being a pro here in New York, I could just be me and focus on the product I put on the ice."
Fillier hit the ground running with the Sirens, producing five points in her first two games, including her first two goals in a 4-1 win over the Montreal Victoire on Dec. 4.
"I don't know that there's a person around the hockey world that didn't think she'd have the ability to come in and dominate," New York head coach Greg Fargo said at the time.
Fillier has hardly taken her foot off the gas since.
Heading into Tuesday night's matchup against Montreal, she ranked second in PWHL scoring with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 26 games — one point behind Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight.
The five-foot-five rookie has registered at least one point in all but five games and became the first PWHL player to score a goal in five straight outings.
Beyond the production, Fargo said Fillier is also one of his leaders.
"Someone we lean on in every situation," he said. "Sees the game at an extremely high level.
"Everybody, whether it's practice or game, we follow her lead in a lot of ways."
Fillier roomed with Canadian superstar Marie-Philip Poulin — now the Victoire's captain — during her national team debut at the 2018 Four Nations Cup in Saskatoon. She later became linemates with the woman known as "Captain Clutch."
Now she's teaming up with a top American talent to form one of the PWHL's most dangerous duos alongside Alex Carpenter of the United States.
"Having the season I'm having so far, it's been a lot of help from players that I'm playing with," Fillier said. "It's a testament to New York. I went in and was really comfortable right away."
She also feels at home with the Sirens, who play less than an hour's drive from Princeton at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
It hasn't, however, all been smooth sailing.
Recovering from the chaotic pro schedule — despite the lack of homework — and the PWHL's physical play have been the biggest adjustments.
"In college, I played every Friday-Saturday and got the whole week to recharge, but in this league it's a sprint," she said. "Learning how to recover like a pro and make sure I'm ready to go every game day has been the hardest part."
The Sirens (6-4-4-12) have also faced challenges as a team. They sat last in the PWHL, facing a virtually must-win scenario in each of their remaining four games to keep flickering playoff hopes alive.
Fargo credited his group for staying positive.
"Sarah is a great example," he said. "It's a mix of having a short memory when things don't go your way, but also being hungry to find ways to continue to grow and improve, and I think she's modelled that."
Fillier doesn't know what she would be doing in life if not for the PWHL, which is in its second season.
"I went to Princeton because I knew after four years, my career might be done," said the psychology major. "I wanted to get a degree that would set me up for the rest of my life."
But by the time she returned from a year off school for the 2022 Olympics, she heard rumblings of a new women's pro league.
"That was my sole focus," Fillier said. "Being a pro hockey player."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
