From New York to Milan: Sarah Fillier
By Jolene Latimer
Photography by Nicole De Khors
Hair & Makeup by Sandra Yang
Ice Warriors Magazine - FALL 2025
Cover Feature
To hear Sarah Fillier talk about her life in New York, you might mistake her for any other twenty-something making the most of the city.
She has a book club with her roommates, an obsession with sourdough, and a calendar full of work she genuinely loves. But peel back the layers and her version of “normal” looks a little different. The 25-year-old star forward for the New York Sirens spends her off days baking bread — then hand-delivers it to her Team Canada teammates at training camp.
“They’re pretty lucky to have me,” she jokes.
Her roommates aren’t exactly typical either: fellow Sirens Allyson Simpson and Elle Hartje share the apartment — and the occasional loaf.
It’s a snapshot of everyday life that quickly gives way to something much bigger. For Fillier, work means playing professional hockey at the highest level — and carrying the weight of a league, a city, and a country on her shoulders.
In just a few years, she’s gone from Princeton standout to the PWHL’s first overall draft pick, Rookie of the Year, and one of Canada’s brightest hopes heading into the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The New York Sirens forward sat down with us to talk about life in the city, preparing for Milano-Cortina, and what fans can expect from season three of the PWHL.
In a career already full of milestones, being selected first overall in 2024 was obviously a major one. Add to that earning Rookie of the Year in 2025. When you look back at that stretch, what did it teach you about yourself and how are you channeling that heading into the next season?
Fillier: Yeah, that’s a great question. Getting drafted first overall was such a cool moment for me and my family. Normally, you share pretty big milestones in a hockey career with your teammates, but it’s so rare to have that kind of moment and just be able to stand up and hug your parents right away. That was cool.
This past year I was grateful to play for a city like New York — it’s such an honor to represent such a historic city. I went into the season with eyes wide open, just trying to learn as much as I could. Being a pro hockey player is such a new realm, so I was really grateful this league came together, and to everyone who’s put in so much work behind the scenes to get it off the ground. I didn’t take any moments for granted. The pieces felt right. Now I’m excited for all the unknowns and uncertainty that are going to come in this next year.
You had so many highs last year. Did you learn more from those or in the moments where you didn’t succeed the way you intended?
Fillier: It definitely was a season of highs and lows with our group out in New York. As a player, I found a new sense of confidence. Playing with players like Alex Carpenter and Abby Roque, players I’ve never had the chance to play with, I feel like I got to grow my game by learning from them.
“Honestly, just having friends and family come experience that Olympic buzz in a city is really exciting for me. In Beijing, there were no friends or family allowed, and you try to share that over FaceTime, but it’s not the same. My parents have been my biggest supporters since day one, so it’ll be special for them to experience the Olympics with me. And playing games with a sold-out crowd in Milan will be surreal.”
A big thing I gained from last year was confidence in myself and who I can be as a player — really being a difference maker. Then the lows: we went through a nine-game losing streak in the middle of our season. I learned there are still a lot of areas in my game I want to get better at. One thing in particular is thinking about how many times I had the game on my stick during that skid, and I could have ended games or buried a goal for us to get ahead or tie it late. When you think of players who are mainstays in our sport — like Marie-Philip Poulin — they bury those goals at the right and key moments. That’s an edge to my game that I really want to add.
You re-signed with the Sirens this summer — not only that, but on the league’s most lucrative multi-year deal. What made you want to stay?
Fillier: Honestly, I loved playing in New York. It’s such a cool city to be part of, and it’s cool to tell people I play for a New York sports team. They have such a rich sports history. I love the staff there, love the girls there. I think there’s a lot left to build, and I want to be part of a program that builds a strong foundation to go chase after a league championship.
With so many roster changes in the offseason the Sirens look like a different team. They look like a team being built around you and a new generation of draft picks. How are you approaching that leadership role in what feels like a bit of a reset year?
Fillier: We obviously lost a lot of talent and some pretty great personalities in our locker room. There’s a reason they got taken in expansion — they’re really great players. But looking at who we got in the draft and trades, it feels like we have this identity of being super fast, skilled, young and hungry. That’s what our game is, and everyone’s hungry to make that playoff push and get in.
You’ve seen in this league that if you can sneak into the playoffs, you can really surprise anyone in these three-game series. I look at the names we drafted, their college careers — there’s some super high-skilled talent, especially with the forwards. It’s exciting for me because it fits into my game pretty well.
With so much of Team Canada clustered in one PWHL market, people sometimes wonder how those dynamics factor into free agency decisions. For you, how much did familiarity versus independence play a role when choosing to stay with the Sirens?
Fillier: It’s such a different situation now, being pro hockey players and having free agency. People are making the best decision for themselves — as hockey players, but also as people. They’re thinking about cities they want to live in, players they want to play with, coaches they want to be coached by.
For me, it’s really exciting to be in New York. I went to school just an hour away in New Jersey. There’s a lot of unfinished business in New York. I wanted to be part of building New York into a destination where really good players want to come play — and I wanted to be a foundational part of that.
“I loved playing in New York. It’s such a cool city to be part of, and it’s cool to tell people I play for a New York sports team. They have such a rich sports history. I love the staff there, love the girls there. I think there’s a lot left to build, and I want to be part of a program that builds a strong foundation to go chase after a league championship.”
The team photos from Team Canada training block one looked incredible. What makes those kinds of off-ice adventures important for team chemistry?
Fillier: I think the biggest step in building relationships with your teammates, especially when you’re grinding every day at training camp, is just getting out and doing crazy activities and getting out of your comfort zone. That’s exactly what happened whitewater rafting — we weren’t really expecting to get thrown out of the raft! It was cool to experience something totally new with your teammates, who you’re obviously going to go to battle with. It’s cool to get those moments with teammates and friends outside the rink.
What was it like spending time with the Canadian men’s team, and what do you take from those exchanges?
Fillier: It’s pretty cool to be in a room with Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid — we really got to see a glimpse of what that team will look like and the emotion and energy around that rivalry with the U.S., which feels similar to ours.
At the last Olympics, it was so cool to walk into the dining hall and see other athletes in Team Canada gear. You feel that sense of unity. Because of COVID we couldn’t really mix with different teams so it will be cool once we get on the ground in Milan — already having relationships, being able to eat meals together, and feel that sense of pride within Team Canada hockey and Team Canada as a whole.
What stands out when you think about walking behind the Canadian flag again at the opening ceremony at the Beijing Games?
Fillier: I remember in 2022, that was probably the coolest experience of my whole life — walking out behind Poulin and the flag into this gigantic stadium with all the countries. I can’t even put it into words. I watched so many Olympics growing up and always thought that was the coolest event. To be on the other side of it, seeing my face up on the big screen — I remember shedding a few tears. I can’t imagine doing that again and having real spectators and my family there to experience it.
This time, your family will actually get to attend the Games. What will that mean to you?
Fillier: Honestly, just having friends and family come experience that Olympic buzz in a city is really exciting for me. In Beijing, there were no friends or family allowed, and you try to share that over FaceTime, but it’s not the same. My parents have been my biggest supporters since day one, so it’ll be special for them to experience the Olympics with me. And playing games with a sold-out crowd in Milan will be surreal.
Does playing against PWHL teammates change the Canada–U.S. rivalry at all?
Fillier: I originally thought maybe it would, but honestly, when you put that jersey on and you’re competing for a gold medal, you have blinders on. Once you put on your country’s jersey, everyone’s your opponent.
What helps you reset mentally when you’re away from the rink?
Fillier: I realized I needed to find another hobby last year. Without being a student-athlete, you have a lot of spare time once you get home from the rink. I got really into reading with my roommates — we had a bit of a book club in New York. That kept my mind fresh away from the rink. I also got really into cooking and baking. I’m really into making sourdough right now.
How did the sourdough baking start?
Fillier: It was more of a TikTok thing. I tried to make a sourdough starter from scratch based on TikTok videos, and it failed miserably. I ended up buying one from a local bakery, and it’s been really easy to make loaves. When we were staying in Airbnbs for Team Canada training camp, I would make a fresh loaf and bring it every time.
You’re roommates with teammates Ally and Elle, tell us more about this book club you have going on.
They got me into “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” We would sit in our living room and debrief every book that I read. Then we went to Mexico and we were all reading one book together while we were on vacation. We read “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” We were there for a week, me and Elle were racing to finish it in the first couple of days.
What’s your favourite thing about living so close to New York City?
Fillier: I always thought of New York as this historic destination you see in TV shows and movies. To live so close and have access to it is amazing. On an off day, I love grabbing a coffee, walking the West Side Highway, seeing the 9/11 Memorial, visiting friends, trying new restaurants, getting a bagel, going for a walk. It keeps my mind fresh and off hockey. At this point in my life, right out of college and being a pro, it’s such a cool situation.
What can fans expect from the Sirens this season?
Fillier: A super fast, skilled game with some grittiness. That’s what we gained in the draft. Our games are going to be entertaining, high-paced, and definitely have that New York grit. It’ll be exciting for fans to watch, especially in person at the arena.
