Sarah Fillier motivated to transform re-tooled Sirens into PWHL contenders after 2 last-place finishes

If Sarah Fillier's aspirations involve her becoming the best women's hockey player in the world, the New York Sirens centre is hardly satisfied following her PWHL rookie of the year season.

For all the times she produced in finishing tied with Hilary Knight for the league lead with 29 points, Fillier spent the off-season instead focusing on the opportunities she missed that contributed to New York ending up last in the standings for a second straight year.

"There were moments that I had the game on my stick and we just couldn't put the puck in the back of the net," the 25-year-old said, referring to how New York fell out of contention during a nine-game midseason skid. "If you want to be the best in the world, those are moments that define you."

Unaccustomed to losing, the former Princeton star and 2022 Team Canada Olympic gold-medalist has plenty of motivation as the Sirens kick off the PWHL's third season at Ottawa on Saturday. And Fillier has reinforcements to accompany her after the Sirens restocked their lineup with high-caliber draft talent.

After selecting Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova with the No. 1 pick, general manager Pascal Daoust acquired the No. 3 selection in a trade with Toronto, and used it to choose NCAA women's hockey MVP Casey O'Brien.

Add in the addition of second-round pick Anne Cherkowski, who combined for 147 points in 168 career college games, and the Sirens feature the league's top young forward lineups.

The additions offset the veteran talent the Sirens lost through trades and the expansion process. Forwards Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge signed with Seattle. New York traded high-scoring defenceman Ella Shelton to Toronto to land the No. 3 pick, and also dealt Abby Roque to Montreal