Grab your jerseys and signs: There’s a new professional hockey league in town.
In just a few short weeks, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will kick off the next generation of women’s hockey in North America. Regular season games are set to begin on January 1 and run through May 5.
The league has had to work fast to prepare for its inaugural campaign. Since the initial announcement back in August, they’ve hired general managers, assembled rosters, negotiated venues, set up training camps, and established a collective bargaining agreement that will stay in effect until 2031.
It’s a league that was built from the ground up in four short months. And now that the schedules have been released and training camps are underway, all that work is about to come to fruition.
Women’s hockey has grown in popularity over the past 20 years, and organizations like USA Hockey and the IIHF are seeing dramatic increases in their female membership because of it. But it still, unfortunately, does not compare to the men’s side of the game in terms of cultural influence. Even despite those membership increases, USA Hockey still has almost five times as many male participants as female ones.
Turning the PWHL into a success is going to be an uphill battle. But it’s one that could grow the game and inspire a new community of people to lace up skates for the first time.
So, what do you need to know ahead of opening day? I’m glad you asked.
Here are some of the most common questions so you can be in the know when the puck finally drops on New Year’s Day.
Who are the teams?
The PWHL will play its first year with six original teams:
Boston (@PWHL_Boston)
Minnesota (@PWHL_Minnesota)
Montreal (@PWHL_Montreal)
New York (@PWHL_NewYork)
Ottawa (@PWHL_Ottawa)
Toronto (@PWHL_Toronto)
These franchises will not have any names associated with them, beyond the name of the city in which they play. However, the league did submit a list of potential team names to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, so this may change as soon as next season.
Where will they play?
Each team has one or two designated venues for home games, ranging from small rinks to NHL arenas. They are as follows:
Boston
Tsongas Center | Lowell, Massachusetts | Capacity: 6,003
Minnesota
Xcel Energy Center | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Cap: 17,954
Montreal
Place Bell | Laval, Quebec | Capacity: 10,062
Verdun Auditorium | Montreal, Quebec | Capacity: 4,114
New York
UBS Arena | Elmont, New York | Capacity: 17,255
Total Mortgage Arena | Bridgeport, Connecticut | Capacity: 8,412
Ottawa
TD Place Arena | Ottawa, Ontario | Capacity: 6,500
Toronto
Mattamy Athletic Centre | Toronto, Ontario | Capacity: 3,850
There are also a number of matchups without an announced venue. Some have speculated these may become “neutral site” games in NHL arenas or in cities without NHL teams.
Who are the players?
The players of the PWHL are among the most decorated in the world — featuring Olympic medalists, IIHF World Hockey Championship medalists, collegiate hockey champions, and legends from former leagues like the CWHL and NWHL.
Some notable names include:
Sarah Nurse — Gold medalist at the 2022 Beijing Olympics for Team Canada and former second overall pick of the Toronto Furies of the CWHL.
Kendall Coyne Schofield — Six-time gold medalist at the IIHF World Hockey Championship for Team USA and three-time medalist at the Winter Olympics — including gold in 2018.
Hillary Knight – Four-time Olympic medalist along with an astounding 13 IIHF World Hockey Championship medals for Team USA. Also the all-time goals leader for the Wisconsin Badgers and first American to win Most Valuable Player in the CWHL.
Marie-Philip Poulin – Three-time gold medalist at the Winter Olympics for Team Canada. Also won 11 IIHF World Hockey Championship medals and averaged nearly two points per game in the CWHL.
Alex Carpenter – First person ever drafted into the now-defunct NWHL. Six-time gold medalist at the IIHF World Hockey Championships.
Taylor Heise – First overall pick in the inaugural PWHL draft. Put up 225 points in 172 games with the Minnesota Golden Gophers during her collegiate career.
What are the rosters, and how were they selected?
Rosters are still being built as training camp continues to take place. An up-to-date lineup for each team can be found below:
Boston | Minnesota | Montreal | New York | Ottawa | Toronto
Roster construction began back on September 1 with a 10-day free agent signing window. During this period, teams were allowed to sign up to three veteran players, with many choosing skaters who already had an affiliation with their city — like Poulin in Montreal and Coyne Schofield in Minnesota.
This was soon followed by the inaugural PWHL draft, where Minnesota took the aforementioned Heise first overall. Each team made 15 selections in a snake draft style, choosing from a pool of college athletes as well as professional players from North America and Europe.
Organizations were then free to sign players as undrafted free agents or invite them to training camp. Teams must submit their 23-player rosters with all players under contract by December 11.
What is the schedule?
As mentioned before, the season will begin on January 1 (with a matchup between Toronto and New York) and run all the way until May 5. Playoffs begin the following week.
Each team will play 24 games during this shortened inaugural season — 12 at home and 12 on the road. These games will happen throughout the week, instead of only on weekends like in previous leagues.
The schedule will break for international tournaments in February, including three Rivalry Series games between Canada and the United States. It will also break in April for the Women’s World Championship.
Is there a salary cap?
Yes.
Each team is allowed to spend up to $1.25 million on their roster — a far cry from the $83.5 million salary cap in the NHL. Contracts can be as low as $35,000 per year, although no more than nine players may be paid that amount.
One interesting stipulation: Every roster must have at least six, three-year contracts that pay at least $80,000 per season on their books.
Where can I read more?
Here are a list of articles that provide more thoughts and information about the league:
Will a new women’s hockey league succeed where others have failed? – Hailey Salvian | The Athletic
Daryl Watts reconciled to pay cut in new women’s pro hockey league – Donna Spencer | CBC
Final Roster Decisions Loom: Team-By-Team Analysis of American / Canadian PWHL Teams – Ian Kennedy | The Hockey News
PWHL jerseys unveiled; designs temporary for Year 1, per source – Hailey Salvian | The Athletic
Pucks Over Glass 
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