Casey OBrien in line for PWHL Rookie of the Year after told you so moment but has bigger Sirens goal in mind

Sirens forward Casey O’Brien had a tough start to her PWHL career.She felt like her game was misunderstood.The 2025 No.

3 overall pick, coming off a women’s college player of the year campaign at powerhouse Wisconsin, viewed herself primarily as a playmaker, someone whose vision and passing ability created offense for her teammates.But coach Greg Fargo and his assistant Josh Sciba told her they wanted her to hold the puck more and look to create for herself.O’Brien was goalless as the calendar neared the end of 2025.She was frustrated.

Her teammate Kristýna Kaltounková, the 2025 No.1 overall pick, joined the choir in encouraging her to shoot the puck.With the Sirens playing in Dallas for a PWHL Takeover Tour stop on Dec.

28, an annoyed O’Brien decided she had enough.She tried to make a play on the puck, but was unsuccessful.Kaltounková told her not to get discouraged.Then, on her next shift, O’Brien scored her first PWHL goal.

She went on to light the lamp two more times that day for her first hat trick.Each time she skated back to the bench, Kaltounková greeted her with a smirk and an “I told you so.”That game was a tipping point for O’Brien.Her trust in the coaching staff had been cemented.

Her confidence soared.She went on to lead all PWHL rookies with 22 points (seven goals and 15 assists).She finished second only to Sarah Fillier on the Sirens in points.O’Brien found out last month that she was a finalist for Rookie of the Year and will learn at the PWHL awards show Tuesday whether she beat out Montréal defender Nicole Gosling and Boston defender Haley Winn for the award.For most players, being named a finalist for Rookie of the Year would be a season-defining achievement, a way to qualify a player’s first season as a resounding success.For O’Brien, though, that individual recognition doesn’t erase the disappointment of falling short of the playoffs.“It’s definitely hard not to look back on the season and be disappointed b...