Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)

Background and Formation

For two decades, there were multiple attempts to try to create a top-level professional women’s hockey league. The leagues included the Central Ontario Women’s Hockey League (COWHL), National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), the Western Women’s Hockey League (WWHL) and the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). The NWHL, CWHL and WWHL all struggled to develop into feasible operations that could generate enough revenue to support its players. The leagues experienced a lack of impactful sponsorship and consistent media attention. The PHF made progress with its infrastructure, but there were still financial complications. A disagreement in 2022 between the PHF and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association resulted in Mark and Kimbra Walter’s firm purchasing the PHF assets.

A major reason the PWHL emerged is that the best women’s hockey players in the world united on the issue; they did not want multiple competing leagues. The players reportedly wanted “one unified circuit with real resources and real salaries.” Even though players had signed contracts with the PHF, they were having difficulty getting paid if their contracts were worth more than $150,000 over two seasons.

The PWHL had instant credibility because of the people involved. Mark Walter is the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He realized how frustrated women’s hockey players were regarding their personal circumstances. Walter and his wife agreed to own the PWHL and all its teams.

Another important stakeholder was Dodgers minority owner and tennis icon Billie Jean King. In the 1970s, King fought against gender inequality in international tennis and helped form the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). In 1973, the US Open became the first major tennis tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women.

Also on the advisory board for the PWHL were Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten and former South African tennis player Ilana Kloss (the wife of Billie Jean King).

Jayna Hefford’s Contribution

Since the beginning of the PWHL, four-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jayna Hefford has had a major role as a league builder. Hefford was initially the PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations and was promoted to co-executive vice president in 2025. She has been in charge of player development, safety and the creation of innovative rules.

The innovative rules that were introduced to the PWHL include the “jailbreak rule” (the penalty is over for a team that took the penalty if they score a shorthanded goal) and the “no escape rule” (prevents the team that took the penalty from making a line change until the first faceoff once penalty time for the infraction has started).

Different Point System

The PWHL has a different point system than the National Hockey League (NHL). Teams that win a regulation game earn three points instead of two. Teams that win in extra time (overtime or a shootout) still earn two points for a win. Teams that lose in extra time receive one point, and teams that lose in regulation time get zero points.

Playoff Structure

The top four teams in the PWHL make the playoffs. However, the playoff structure has a unique twist. The team that has the most points in the regular season gets to choose who their opponent will be. They can choose between the teams that finished third and fourth during the regular season. The second-place team then plays the team that the first-place team chose not to play. Both the two semifinal series and the Walter Cup Finals are best of five.

Salaries

In the PWHL’s first full season, 2024–25, players received significant income. Among the players who received $100,000 or more were Canadians Renata Fast (who earned $103,000 with the Toronto Sceptres), Brianne Jenner ($118,450 with the Ottawa Charge), Emily Clark ($103,000 with the Charge) and Marie-Philip Poulin ($121,570 with the Montreal Victoire). The league’s minimum player salary in 2024–25 was $36,050.

Canadian Success Stories

In the inaugural 2024 PWHL season, four Canadians won major awards. Toronto’s Natalie Spooner won the Billie Jean King MVP award and was named Forward of the Year. She led the league with 20 goals and 7 assists in 24 games. Montreal’s Erin Ambrose was named the PWHL’s top defender, Toronto’s Kristen Campbell was named the top goaltender and Toronto’s Troy Ryan was top coach.

In the 2024–25 PWHL season, five more Canadians won major awards. The Montreal Victoire’s Marie-Philip Poulin, who led the PWHL with 19 goals, won the Billie Jean King MVP Award and was named Forward of the Year. Toronto Sceptres’ Renata Fast was the top defender, Montreal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens was the top goaltender, the New York Sirens’ Sarah Fillier was the top rookie and Montreal’s Kori Cheverie was the top coach.

In 2024–25, the Ottawa Charge were the first Canadian team to play in the Walter Cup Finals. They lost to the Minnesota Frost, who won the Walter Cup Final for the second straight year. The Charge were also in the 2026 Walter Cup Finals and lost to the Montreal Victoire.