PWHL Playoff MVP Rankings: Heise's heroics, phenomenal Philips

The Walter Cup finals are here.

The defending champion Minnesota Frost look to go back-to-back, while the underdog Ottawa Charge hope to bring the PWHL championship north of the border.

The two semifinal series couldn't have been more different. The Frost prevailed in a high-scoring matchup against the Toronto Sceptres that was highlighted by a 12-goal Game 3, while Ottawa advanced in a goaltending duel with the narrowest of margins.

Here are the top contenders in the mix for the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award entering the finals.

5. Emily Clark, Charge

Clark became the Charge's most important forward this season as captain Brianne Jenner's role decreased. Head coach Carla MacLeod has leaned on the speedy, two-way Clark in all situations, and her defensive play against Montreal Victoire superstar Marie-Philip Poulin is a key reason Ottawa is playing for the Walter Cup this week.

Under a minute into the third period of Game 4, the 29-year-old drove hard to the net and beat two of the best players in the world, Poulin and Ann-Renee Desbiens, for the eventual series-winning goal. She played 21:02 in that clincher and was on the ice defending the lead in the final minute.

Clark has a huge task in trying to limit the Minnesota Frost's electric top line while generating offense herself. She succeeded in the semifinals versus Montreal, and that could set Clark and Ottawa up for more of the same.

4. Kendall Coyne Schofield, Frost

Last year, Coyne Schofield's only goal in the playoffs was an empty-netter in Game 5 of the finals against Boston. She's already been significantly more impactful this time around, notching two assists in Game 3 versus the Sceptres before tallying two vital goals in the Frost's Game 4 overtime win to take the series.

Coyne Schofield's speed will be a handful for the Charge. One of the PWHL's most prolific five-on-five scorers, she's gaining momentum and will be itching to keep her line rolling after an excellent end to the semis against Toronto.

3. Lee Stecklein, Frost

Stecklein's offensive emergence came out of nowhere. The typically defensive defender had zero goals in 28 games entering the final week of the PWHL campaign. Now she has six in her last six contests dating back to the last two games of the regular season.

The 31-year-old is one of the league's most underrated players, and she's finally getting the recognition she deserves with this recent offensive outburst. Stecklein plays huge minutes in all situations. If she manages to continue racking up points in the finals, she'll have a good case for MVP given her vital importance on the defensive end as well.

2. Taylor Heise, Frost

There's no other way to put it: Heise is a rock star. The reigning Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP rebounded from a tough Game 1 against the Sceptres with multi-point efforts in Minnesota's three straight wins to take the series, including the Game 4 overtime winner for her lone goal of the playoffs to date.

Head coach Ken Klee has consistently encouraged Heise to shoot more. She had just two shots on goal entering Game 4 versus Toronto, then fired six in the series finale, capped by the game-winning goal.

Heise was lights out in the Walter Cup finals last year with three goals and six points in the five-game series. If the Frost triumph again and she repeats that kind of performance, Heise will be a two-time playoff MVP at just 25 years old.

1. Gwyneth Philips, Charge

Emerance Maschmeyer's injury in March could've spelled the end of the Charge's campaign. Instead, Philips, a rookie goaltender, stepped up and helped carry Ottawa not just to its first playoff appearance, but to the finals.

Philips went head to head against the presumptive Goaltender of the Year, Desbiens, and came out on top. She did the same in the gold-medal game at the World Championship in April for Team USA, coming in cold during the third period to replace the injured Aerin Frankel.

The 24-year-old's numbers speak for themselves; a .956 save percentage and a 1.14 goals-against average are absurd. She's the only goalie with a shutout so far these playoffs. It'll be a challenge to stifle the league's best offensive team in the Frost, but should Ottawa prevail to lift the Walter Cup, Philips is the clear front-runner for MVP at the outset of the series.