Toronto Sceptres defender Renata Fast — up for PWHL top defender and MVP — didn't think she'd reach this level
30-year-old from Burlington, Ont., led the league in ice-time this season and was a top-scoring defender
For hockey player Renata Fast, the last two years of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) have been "more than we ever imagined," and an opportunity to grow as a player in ways she never thought possible.
Fast, who's from Burlington, Ont., and lives there today, plays defence for the Toronto Sceptres. Though her team was eliminated from the playoffs on May 14, Fast distinguished herself in the league's second year, becoming a finalist for two awards.
Alongside Minnesota Frost teammates Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson, Fast is up for the PWHL's top defender distinction. And alongside Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Boston Fleet forward Hilary Knight, she's also in the running for league MVP.
Speaking before the league announced her MVP candidacy, the 30-year-old told CBC Hamilton it was a "huge honour" to be named one of the defenders of the year.
"It's always nice to have a little bit of individual acknowledgement," she said.
"I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates for the compete that they've shown every day in practice to push me to be better, as well as my coaches. I think they've put a big investment in me as a person and a player to see how far my game can go."
Fast had six goals and 16 assists in 30 games this season, tying Jaques for the scoring lead among defenders. She led the league in hits (63). With a total of 739 minutes and 45 seconds of play, she was on the ice more than any player in the league, averaging 24:39 per game.
According to a PWHL news release, award winners will be announced June 25 at an event in Ottawa.
The league's finals are still underway, with the defending champions Minnesota Frost playing the Ottawa Charge in a best-of-five series.
"Obviously, we wanted to win that Walter Cup so it was a disappointing finish [for the Sceptres]," Fast said, but it was a "great" regular season with her team coming in second.
"Every night's a battle," Fast said. "I think we learned a lot and we'll be ready to go for year three as well."
PWHL set to expand for next season
Next year is set to be another big one for the league, which is rapidly growing in popularity, averaging 7,500 fans per game last season compared to last season's 5,500, according to the PWHL.
This past season, teams had names and unique brands for the first time, games became viewable on more platforms with Prime Video streaming some, and PWHL teams became a big part of the latest instalment of the popular NHL video game franchise, with playable rosters that include Fast.
The league is now expanding to add two teams in Vancouver and Seattle for next season. The six existing teams will each lose four players as part of a June expansion draft, meaning rosters will look quite different next season. The coming change has been the source of some consternation for players left wondering where they'll be next year.
Fast said knowing her team is going to change made the end of this season harder. "It's great for the league. Obviously, it is a little bit disappointing to know that our core won't be together in the future."
Fast is an Olympian and represented Canada nationally before the league's start in 2023. Still, Fast said, she didn't think she'd reach the skill level she has since.
"I'm very thankful that it's a time in my career that I've been able to actually play in [the PWHL]," Fast said.
Players in the league have said being able to compete professionally has opened up the opportunity for advancement in a way not possible before.
In 2024, Hamilton's Kayla Vespa, who plays with the New York Sirens, told CBC Hamilton that before joining the PWHL, she was playing hockey in the evenings then working as an overnight snowplow driver — a demanding schedule.
"I want to play hockey and I also wanted to obviously have a realistic living, paying job and whatnot. So I did both. Now with this league and the salaries, it's just been incredible," Vespa said at the time.
Fast said having consistent training, high-end coaching and regular competition has allowed her to excel.
She describes her style as "aggressive, in your face, shut-down defence."
Fast is also fast, as evidenced by a breakaway goal she scored in overtime against the Frost back in February. Picking up a blocked shot in the Sceptre's zone, she raced past the opposing team's defenders, winning the game with three seconds to spare.
"I think I can use my foot speed and and my edge work to my advantage, taking away time and space from opponents. … I know that's what's gotten me this far in my career," Fast said.
Whereas her role on Team Canada was to shut down opposing teams' top players, Fast said there's an onus on her to play more offensively with the Sceptres.
"It's been two years of learning the offensive side of my game, the risks that I can take knowing that I still need to be pretty stingy defensively. I felt that this year I managed that pretty well and had success on both ends of the ice."
Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks are two defenders Fast enjoys watching to learn from, she said, and two of her long-time inspirations are Olympians Cheryl Pounder and Becky Kellar.
The pair used to run hockey camps that Fast attended and now, she sees them regularly as they commentate on PWHL games.
"I wouldn't have even known the opportunities that are out there in sport if it wasn't for that camp I went to," Fast said.
In a "full circle moment," Fast now runs her own hockey camps for up-and-comers, teaching alongside teammate Emma Maltais, who's also from Burlington.
As of publication, Fast's website says her 2025 camps sold out "in minutes" with limited spots remaining for goalies.
"It's been incredible to be able to give back in the community that we're from and engage with a lot of the young girls that are playing," Fast said.
"I think we've had some incredible bonds with some of those young girls and then to watch them develop over the last kind of couple years has been really neat."
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With files from The Canadian Press, Karissa Donkin, Saira Peesker