Lou Orlando
With the conclusion of the Walter Cup Final, the offseason is officially upon us — and that means more end-of-season evaluations for the New York Sirens. On Wednesday, we released report cards for Sirens forwards. Now it’s time to shift the focus to the defensive corps.
Even after trading away star defender Ella Shelton last offseason, New York’s blue line featured a host of familiar faces in 2025-26, including captain Micah Zandee-Hart and newly-appointed alternate captain Jaime Bourbonnais. Defense wasn’t the Sirens’ fatal flaw this season, but there’s still plenty to break down after another disappointing finish.
Once again, the entire position group will receive an overall grade before moving on to individual assessments.
As a reminder, grades follow a standard letter scale. An A is exceptional, while an A-plus signifies an MVP-caliber season. A B is above average, a C is average, and a D is below average. An F is reserved for the type of dreadful campaign fans won’t forget for years.
Positional Grade — Defense: C+
When the Sirens look back on the 2025-26 season, they can hang their hat on a solid effort in their own zone. New York ranked second in the League in expected goals allowed (72.56) per PWHL Analytics, and allowed the second fewest shots on goal in the low slot.
Still, New York surrendered the second-most goals (83) this season, only trailing the Seattle Torrent (92). The goalies play a part in that equation — and we’ll get to their grades later on — but the blue line isn’t completely absolved either.
Without Shelton, the Sirens lacked a true game-changer offensively. Maja Nylén Person and Bourbonnais both produced at an above-average rate, but New York’s breakouts would benefit greatly from another high-end puck mover.
Landing a needle-moving defender in the 2026 PWHL Draft — like Laila Edwards or Emma Peschel, for instance — would go a long way to making this group more fearsome in 2026-27.
Individual report cards: Grading every New York Sirens defender
Maya Nylen Persson: B
As New York mounted one final surge in pursuit of its first playoff berth, Nylén Person played her best hockey of the season — and delivered in the clutch. On April 4, the shifty defender netted the game-winning shootout goal, besting Torrent goalie Corinne Schroeder with a wicked wrister in front of 18,006 fans at Madison Square Garden. She later helped extend the Sirens’ playoff hopes on April 15 in a 3-2 comeback win over the Toronto Sceptres, scoring the power-play equalizer at 14:53 of the third period.
In terms of on-ice impact, Nylén Person stood above the rest of New York’s defensive corps. Her 21:48 average time-on-ice (ATOI) led all Sirens skaters, and she paced the blue line with 11 points (two goals, nine assists). The 25-year-old spent the season glued to Zandee-Hart on the top pair and quarterbacked New York’s top power-play unit.
But while she brings a well-rounded skill set to the table, Nylén Person hasn’t quite developed into a high-end offensive catalyst. The Sirens’ power play lacked consistency this season and could benefit from a more dominant presence at the point. Nylén Persson remains invaluable to New York as a mobile puck mover capable of handling big minutes. It’s just hard to picture her as the top playmaker on a championship-level blue line.
Jaime Bourbonnais: B-
After seeing a decline in offensive production last season, Bourbonnais entered training camp determined to “bring more” in 2025-26. The 27-year-old backed up those comments, recording 10 points (one goal, nine assists) to place second among Sirens defenders.
Bourbonnais wore a lot of different hats this season, logging time on the second power-play unit and playing on her off-hand for the bulk of the second half. Her 21:43 ATOI trailed only Nylén Persson for the club lead. It wasn’t always the cleanest season for Bourbonnais on the defensive end, but she remains a quality top-four talent — and one of the most physical defenders across the League.
She hasn’t recaptured the scoring touch she displayed in a strong inaugural 2024 campaign, when she finished second among PWHL defenders with five goals. Still, Bourbonnais is one of the few defenders that the Sirens can lean on for consistent offense.
Allyson Simpson: B-
Allyson Simpson paced the blue line with a career-high three goals, but she was equally reliable on the defensive end. Simpson’s plus-three rating at 5-on-5 led all Sirens defenders this season, as she was once again deployed in a major top-four role.
The highlight of her season came April 21, netting the overtime winner against Toronto just moments after New York was eliminated from playoff contention. For the Sirens’ purposes, though, it’s encouraging to see Simpson feature a more responsible game after she sported a PWHL-worst minus-11 rating in her 2024-25 rookie campaign.
Nicole Vallario: B-
On a team brimming with young talent, Nicole Vallario was arguably New York’s most pleasant surprise. Despite spending more than half of the season on the reserve roster, the undrafted rookie worked her way into a regular role and handled herself well in sheltered third-pair minutes.
After scoring her first career goal in her PWHL debut on Nov. 29, Vallario drew into the lineup for nine of 10 games to close out the season, including each of the last eight, and hardly looked out of place. That certainly merits an above-average grade.
Micah Zandee-Hart: B-
Sirens coach Greg Fargo heralded Zandee-Hart as the best captain he’s ever been around, a sentiment that many of her teammates echoed. But she also turned in a solid campaign on the ice, avoiding a negative rating for the first time in her three-year PWHL career. The former Olympian remains one of New York’s most effective netfront defenders, and her chemistry with Nylén Person took another step forward in their second season together.
Penalties were a recurring problem for Zandee-Hart in 2025-26, though. New York’s captain led the PWHL with 50 penalty minutes, nearly doubling her prior career mark of 26. A reckless shot to the head on Frost forward Katy Knoll on April 11 drew a one-game suspension, forcing her out of the lineup for a pivotal home finale against Toronto. The Sirens finished with the second-worst penalty kill in the League, and undisciplined play certainly didn’t help matters.
Lauren Bernard: C
Lauren Bernard appeared in all 30 games for New York, logging a 13:18 ATOI in a bottom-pair role. It was a somewhat inconsistent campaign for the 24-year-old, who saw a rotating cast of D-partners in 2025-26. She seemed to find her footing playing alongside Vallario down the stretch, but Bernard’s minus-seven rating at 5-on-5 was still the worst of any Sirens skater. She enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent — as does Vallario — leaving New York with a couple of key spots to address on the backend.
Dayle Ross: D
It’s hard to fault Dayle Ross for an uneven 2025-26 campaign. The fourth-round pick (No. 25 overall) didn’t make her PWHL debut until Jan. 6 after undergoing ACL surgery in March 2025. She went on to play 16 games, averaging 5:03 of ice time as she struggled to carve out a sizeable role after her late start.
As the playoff race tightened, Ross’ playing time sharply declined. The 22-year-old was a healthy scratch in five of New York’s last six games, falling behind Vallario as Fargo opted for a six-defender rotation. She showed flashes of the defensive instincts that made her an exciting rookie prospect out of St. Cloud State University, but the complete package never quite materialized at the pro level.
“The injury that she had — it’s different than training and preparing for the year,” Fargo explained in April. A full offseason unmarred by injury should go a long way toward Ross’ development.
NOTE: Third-year defender Olivia Knowles appeared in three games and logged a total TOI of 6:46. We determined this sample size was not large enough to receive a full-season PWHL grade.
