Ottawa Charge sign playoff MVP Gwyneth Philips and veteran Emily Clark to Two-Year Extensions

The Ottawa Charge made a significant statement, signing both last year’s PWHL playoff MVP, goalie Gwyneth Philips, along with veteran assistant captain Emily Clark, to two-year contract extensions.

In just its second year, Ottawa is coming off a historic breakout season, which saw this young, talented squad accomplish a franchise-first playoff appearance.

During the magical playoff run that captured the attention of hockey fans, the Charge pulled off a semi-finals playoff series upset against the number one seed Montreal Victoire, punching their ticket to the 2025 PWHL finals. In the much-anticipated best-of-5 series, Ottawa gave the defending champs, Minnesota Frost, a huge scare before falling short in four games against the now back-to-back defending Walter Cup champions.

Despite the disappointing ending, it was, in hindsight, an unbelievable season of growth, which saw the Charge finish the regular season third overall with 44 points, marking a 12-point improvement from their expansion season.

“This was a special group,” Ottawa’s captain, Brianne Jenner, said shortly following the Game 4 playoff loss to Minnesota. “We went through a lot this season and showed a lot of resiliency. These last couple of weeks, we did something really special. It’s going to sting for a while, but I’m really proud of this group.”

Approximately two months after falling short in the PWHL finals, Ottawa management took care of some in-house business by first on July 27, signing the 24-year-old Philips, who had a standout rookie campaign that saw her lead all freshman goalies in games played (15) along with leading in wins with 8, shutouts (2) and GAA (2.11) to a two-year extension.

Selected as a third-round pick by Ottawa in the 2024 PWHL draft, Philips showed great potential right off the bat when, on December 19, 2024, at the Xcel Energy Centre, she made PWHL hockey history by recording the most saves with 35 in a debut performance.

Philips, who had an outstanding playing career for Northeastern University before joining the PWHL, received a lot of praise from Ottawa coach, Carla McLeod: “She played incredibly well and gave us an opportunity to be successful in that game”. “I was happy for Gwyneth, for sure, to get her first start in the league. She’s going to prove pretty quickly here that she’s going to have a long career in this league.”

Following her standout regular season, Philips demonstrated that she could excel under playoff pressure, as she was nothing short of clutch, posting a 1.23 GAA and a .952 save percentage in winning the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award. Another stat highlighting Philips’ dominance: she allowed only seven goals on 135 Minnesota shots in the finals.

“I thought it was a great choice,” Minnesota goalie Maddie Rooney said about the Playoff MVP award going to Philips. “She definitely gave her team the best chance to win.”

Philips started the year as Ottawa’s backup goalie before taking full advantage and not looking back when the number one goalie, Emerance Maschmeyer, suffered a long-term injury in a game against the Frost on March 11, 2025.

Philips couldn’t be happier about the two-year extension. “I’m super excited to be staying in Ottawa,” Phillips said. “From the very start, I saw how special this city is and how supportive the fans are. I’m so honoured to play in front of the best fans in the league and represent Canada’s capital city. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to continue with this great program and embrace this wonderful city as my own. November can’t come soon enough!”

Every hockey fan knows that a team needs quality goaltending to be a contender, and that’s something Ottawa doesn’t have to worry about with the contract extension of Philips, who, at 24 years of age, has yet to reach her prime.

Approximately 11 days after management inked Philips’ extension, Charge fans had more reason to get excited when, on August 7, it was made official that Ottawa had signed their playoff-leading scorer from last spring, Emily Clark, to a two-year extension. Clark, a 29-year-old forward from Saskatchewan, was one of the very first three players originally signed by Ottawa.

In the two years, Clark has played in all 54 regular-season games and sits second all-time among Ottawa point producers with 34 (13 goals, 21 assists). This past season, Clark produced 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists), placing her three points behind the team’s leading scorer, Tereza Vanisova. In the playoffs, Clark was clutch as she led the offensive charge with three goals and a team-leading five points.

“When Mike (Hirshfeld) reached out about an extension,” I was thrilled,” Clark said. “I am proud to have been part of this organization from the inaugural season, and I am very grateful to get to extend my contract. Since the very first game, we have felt this unwavering support from the fans, and it is so fun to play in front of them every night. Playing for such a passionate fan base made it easy for me to want more time here. I’m excited for more games at TD Place and more time in the community. After coming up just short in the Walter Cup last season, I am as motivated as ever to work to bring a championship to Ottawa.”

This past season, Clark dished out a team-leading 45 hits and once again excelled at killing penalties and playing well defensively. Clark also excelled on the international stage, where she is a two-time Olympian who helped Canada win gold in Beijing at the 2022 Games and also helped Canada win silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics six years later.

She has also represented Canada on nine separate occasions during the IIHF Women’s World Championship, where she won three gold, five silver, and one bronze medals. Clark’s early hockey resumé also includes a successful stint from 2014 to 2019 playing for the University of Wisconsin.

This summer has been nothing short of a success for the Charge, who now look ahead with real optimism at their chances of hoisting the Walter Cup.

Photos: Courtesy Ottawa Charge