The new Professional Women's Hockey League organization is starting off with a bang. For years women hockey players and fans alike were calling for one league, one place for all the best players in the world to compete against each other, and now that wish has become a reality. The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) will be holding its inaugural season in 2024 and has added six franchises to its ranks.
On Tuesday the PWHL announced six inaugural franchises and a 24-game regular season that is scheduled to begin in January 2024. The locations of the six teams are Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. The exact locations and arenas for these teams have not yet been announced. For example, the New York team may hold games in New Jersey or Connecticut.
The Professional Women's Hockey League will get started with 150 of the best players in the world
More deatails about the team will be revealed in the coming weeks such as locations, team names, staff including General Managers, and logos. It was stated that although there are six cities slated for these first teams, there is room for other cities to host games as well. Not all home games for the teams will be held in the same arena, there will be opportunities for "neutral site" games throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The PWHL is being financed by Mark Walter, part-owner of MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, and his wife Kimbra. Board members for the PWHL include famed tennis legends Billie Jean King and Ilana
Kloss, Stan Kasten and Royce Cohen, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The PWHL will take the place of all other former professional leagues of the past including the Canadian Women's Hockey League, the National Women's Hockey League, the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association, and the Premier Hockey Federation, none of which found the success they were hoping for.
All teams will begin forming their rosters through free agency beginning on Sept. 1. The league will be holding its first draft that is set for Sept. 18. Any player not picked in the draft will re-enter free agency and can sign with any team. The goal is to have 28 players on each team by the November training camp dates, but can only sign 20 to contract. There is a clause that six of those contracts must be for a minimum of $80,000 per year for three years.
The NHL has already lent its support to the new PWHL. They may work together in special events such as All-Star Weekend in Toronto and the NHL outdoor games. Some games may be held in NHL arenas as well. The PWHL will begin to move quickly with roster and logistics in the upcoming weeks. Look to Fansided to keep up to date on teams and games coming to a rink near you.