Ottawa Rapid striker DB Pridham named Northern Super League player of the year

Ottawa Rapid's Delaney Baie Pridham, left, kicks the ball as Calgary Wild's Mijke Roelfsema closes in during second half Northern Super League soccer action in the in Calgary, on Sunday, May 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

TORONTO — Ottawa Rapid forward Delaney Baie (DB) Pridham, who led the league in scoring in its inaugural season, has been named Northern Super League player of the year.

The 28-year-old scored 18 goals, four more than AFC Toronto’s Kaylee Hunter, and added three assists in helping Ottawa to second place in the regular-season standings at 11-8-6. Pridham accounted for 44 percent of Ottawa’s 41 regular-season goals.

Pridham also led the six-team league in shots (83) and shots on target (42). In June, she became the first NSL player to record a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over AFC Toronto.

The NSL Player of the Year Award was decided by NSL players, who could not vote for themselves or for their teammates. Pridham was also voted NSL forward of the year by her peers.

AFC Toronto’s Marko Milanovic was named coach of the year on Wednesday.

Pridham and Ottawa visit the Vancouver Rise on Tuesday in the first leg of their playoff semifinal at Swangard Stadium.

Born in Saratoga, Calif., to Canadian parents (father from Toronto and mother from Fort Erie, Ont.), Pridham is a dual citizen. The family moved to the U.S. for her father’s work in tech sales.

Pridham played four seasons at Santa Clara University, graduating with a degree in political science and a minor in business (entrepreneurship).

After college, she spent a season in Iceland with ÍBV and three in Sweden, first with Kristianstad DFF and then Linköping FC.

The move to Canada was prompted by a call from Ottawa’s Danish coach Katrine Pedersen, who knew Andrée Jeglertz, Pridham’s former Linköping coach, now in charge of the Denmark women.

At Santa Clara, she played midfielder and winger but switched to playing up front, her preferred position, when she turned pro.

Named to Canada’s preliminary roster for the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, Pridham hopes to get another shot with the national team. While eligible for both the U.S. and Canada, she is committed to Canada.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press