Professional Women’s Hockey League Announces Original Six Markets, Other Key Details

Professional Women’s Hockey League Announces Original Six Markets, Other Key Details

Time Stamp: August 31, 2023 8:52 AM
Source Node: 2855869

On Tuesday, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced their original six markets, as well as staffing details and draft dates. With three teams each in the United States and Canada, franchises will be located in Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, the New York City area, Montréal, Toronto and Ottawa.

In an interview broadcast on NHL Tonight, PWHL board member Stan Kasten said that “the problem we had was not in finding cities, it was in eliminating cities,” when deciding on market locations.

The goal, he said, was to “accommodate the star players that we have in both countries [the US and Canada].”

While locations have been announced, information regarding team names, logos and arenas is still forthcoming.

Jayna Hefford, the league’s senior vice president of hockey operations, shared in a letter to fans that, “We have never seen more excitement with, or demand for, women’s sports, and I am honored to play a role in the furtherance of that momentum.”

Even after 17 years competing for Canada and five appearances at the Olympic Games, “never did I dream of something like this,” Hefford said in an interview with the NHL’s Tracey Myers.

New League Staff

Besides Kasten and Hefford, the league revealed its full executive staff. The PWHL is fully funded by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owners Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra. Its board members comprise Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Royce, Cohen and Kasten. 

Alongside Hefford, the league’s hockey operations staff includes Annie Camins as VP of hockey operations, Chris Burkett as VP of league operations and compliance, Alexis Miller as director of player experience and Burton Lee as director of game operations and fan experience.

Additionally, Brian Burke, the former president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was brought on as the PWHL Players’ Association executive director.

Burke said that Tuesday was “the most exciting day in the history of women’s hockey.”

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski also reported that the league is nearing the end of the hiring process for six GMs for the original teams, which will be staffed by 11 to 13 personnel.

As the league is in its incipience, Kasten made it clear that while the endeavor will be expensive, “particularly in the early years…we’re prepared for that… We didn’t do this for the short term. We didn’t do it for the long term. We did it to be permanent.”

NHL Support

While the PWHL is not officially partnered with the NHL at this point, the men’s league did release a statement of support, saying they “remain committed to supporting the women’s game and look forward to working together with the PWHL.”

The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian reported that in its first season, PWHL games will be played in a variety of arenas, from NHL arenas to minor league venues and potentially including the Xcel Energy Center.

Per Kasten, the PWHL will also have a presence at the NHL All-Star Weekend – which in 2024 will be held in Toronto – and outdoor games.

This collaboration with the more established men’s league (to a degree which neither the PHF nor PWHPA experienced) will certainly aid the PWHL as it grows to gain exposure and viewership.

“I dreamt of what I could see, which was the NHL,” Hefford said. “So to have something like this today that we’re launching is something that’s so significant for our sport and I know that many women (that came) before me have dreamed of something like this.”

Drafting and Signing Players

Ahead of the 2024 season, teams will begin signing players this week prior to the September 18 draft.

The ten-day signing window, beginning September 1, will allow teams to sign up to three players each. Meanwhile, any other interested players must declare for the draft by September 3. 

“On this journey, our players will re-set the bar for greatness and will lift our game to greater heights,” Hefford said in her letter.

Notably, current or graduating NCAA players will not be eligible for the free agency period, nor will there be any draft picks traded during the inaugural season.

As of November, when training camps open, each team may have up to 20 players under contract. Six players per term will be signed to three-year contracts valued at at least $80,000 per league year; up to five will be signed to two-year contracts; the minimum salary for standard contracted players will be $35,000 and only up to nine players per team may be paid the league minimum.

2024 Schedule

Following the September draft, the PWHL’s initial, abbreviated season begins in January 2024. Teams will play 24 games each and the season is expected to end around May 2024, though the exact schedule is yet to be released.

Subsequently, seasons will have 32-game regular seasons followed by playoffs. The league will have breaks for international competition.

“I’m very excited for the players to be a part of this today,” Hefford said. “This is what we’ve been building toward for some time and they’re going to have the opportunity to be part of this special moment. I’m excited for players of my generation, the ones who came before me that put so much into this.”

“And I’m equally excited for all the new fans of our game, men and women, boys and girls, who are going to be inspired by the women that go onto the ice in this league. We’re going to represent what it means to be strong, to be powerful and to be determined. We’re just getting started here.”

“A new era dawns for women’s hockey,” her letter to fans concludes. “The PWHL is going to make history. I hope you will join me in embracing this transformational moment.”

Stay tuned for more hockey content, including off-season moves and prospect updates.

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