By: Ella Marrufo

Editor-in-Chief

After two largely unsuccessful professional women’s hockey leagues, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and the Premier Hockey Federation, players and fans are cautiously hoping that the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), announced in August of 2023, is here to stay. Along with the exciting declaration, the PWHL revealed their own Original Six teams, slightly different from the NHL’s: Boston, Minnesota, New York, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Here’s what you need to know. 

The PWHL’s first puck drop was on Jan. 1 between Toronto and New York, with New York’s defenseman Ella Shelton scoring the league’s first-ever goal. Since this game, attendance numbers surpassed that of past women’s leagues, with Ottawa’s home opener attracting a record number of around 8,000 fans before being surpassed by the Minnesota game just days later with 13,316 fans in attendance. For young girls and women worldwide, these numbers represent far more than just data; they represent new opportunities that were previously only open to men, showing that women’s hockey has a place in the professional sports market. Stan Kasten, a member of the league’s leadership group, noted, “We have delivered the proof of concept: Women’s hockey works.” 

The PWHL, still in its opening stages, has a few things left to sort out regarding team names, jerseys, and where each team will play. Despite the league having temporary jerseys and no team names as of yet, Toronto game manager Gina Kingsbury said this was “pretty minor.” She added, “We’ve been waiting our whole lives for a professional league, to be able to compete, to be able to play, and to be able to represent a team — regardless of what the colors of the jerseys are or the name is.” With respect to where teams will play, Minnesota is currently the only team playing in an NHL arena, though the hope is that soon every team will be able to do the same, or at least have an arena of the same size. Because some aspects of the league are not fully developed quite yet, the PWHL was able to get the most essential pieces moving so players could compete as soon as possible.

Unlike some of the teams’ rosters in the NHL when it was first created, the PWHL’s rosters are full of talented veterans and young players, many of whom were drafted on Sept. 13, 2023, while the rest were signed during a free agency period. During this period, each team selected three elite free agents, ensuring that the teams would be well-rounded and balanced. Some of the best players in the world now play in the PWHL, all of whom have acquired numerous accolades and awards over the years; three-time Olympic gold medalist Marie-Philip Poulin, currently signed with Montreal, is just one iconic example. Others include the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation winner and Female Player of the Year, Hilary Knight (Boston), and Sarah Nurse (Toronto), who set a record number of points for an Olympic tournament during the 2022 Beijing Olympics. 

For women’s hockey, the PWHL is revolutionary and a message to young female players everywhere that their dreams are valid, achievable, and no longer only for men. To watch the PWHL, tune in to New England Sports Network, MSG+, or YouTube to see history being made.

(Sources: PWHL, The Athletic, USA Hockey)