Because of his sister Jesse, J.T. Compher has tracked the growth of the women's game closely, and the early success of the PWHL and its visit to Detroit next month represent the rest of the hockey world catching up to women's game's growth

For hockey fans across the state of Michigan, there is no shortage of reasons for excitement about the PWHL's recently announced visit to Detroit and Little Caesars Arena.  For Red Wings center J.T. Compher, that excitement takes on a more personal form.

Compher's younger sister Jesse was drafted by PWHL Toronto back in September in anticipation of the league's inaugural season, and she's now 10 games (and four assists) into her pro hockey career.  

While she won't play at LCA in the March 17th double-header (the PWHL game that day is between Ottawa and Boston), she will be playing in the same arena as her brother the following day when the Red Wings take on the Penguins in Pittsburgh a few hours after Toronto and Montreal's PWHL sides square off that afternoon at PPG Paints Arena.

"I think it's awesome," the elder Compher told The Hockey News Monday, when asked about the PWHL visiting Detroit.  "I wish that Toronto was coming here.  Obviously that didn't work out, but I do know that we're gonna be playing on the same day in Pittsburgh, so that'll be exciting.  I'm gonna try to get to that game sometime before ours and watch."

Compher has followed the PWHL closely since the puck dropped on the league's first season on January 1st, and he appreciates both the hockey itself and its easy accessibility for fans.  "I've been watching a lot of it, and it's fun," he says.  "They do a great job of putting it on YouTube.  The quality is great, the product is awesome, and the girls seem to be really enjoying it.  Definitely think anyone that likes hockey should check it out, and I love watching the games, and I think the league's been doing great so far."

That the league has already drawn massive, record-setting crowds wherever they host games only compounds the excitement around the PWHL and the sport of women's hockey.  To Compher, it is a reflection of the rest of the hockey world catching up to the quality of hockey on display in the women's game.

"When you see USA and Canada play like they just did last week, they fill buildings, and it's translating to the pro game, as it should," he observes.  "Super high-level athletes, super skilled.  They compete really hard, and I think the league's only gonna get better and better."

Jesse's journey to her first season of professional hockey reinforced the sense for her older brother that the PWHL represents something overdue—a chance for women's hockey players to continue their careers past the collegiate level in a league that reflects their skill, labor, and professionalism.

"I just think it's great to have a league now that is doing well and succeeding," Compher says.  "I know that she's enjoying it—having a normal schedule and playing in different cities against good competition.  We talk quite often, and it's nice for them to have normalcy.  There's been a lot of uncertainty in the last few years in the women's game, and I'm glad they're getting what they deserve—to play in a league that can showcase them."

Jesse Compher arrived at the PWHL after a decorated five-year career in the NCAA. In four years at Boston University, she put up 127 points (46 goals and 81 assists) in 109 games, before transferring to the University of Wisconsin for her final season of eligibility. At Wisconsin, she scored 16 goals and gave 24 assists in 41 games, culminating in a National Championship victory over then-reigning champion Ohio State. With two goals and four assists in four NCAA Tournament games, Compher earned All-Tournament honors.

Though she is just 24, Compher has extensive national team experience at the senior level.  She won gold at the 2019 Worlds in Finland at just 19 years old and has since picked up silver medals at the '21 and '22 Worlds as well as at the '22 Beijing Olympics.

But J.T. knows from first-hand experience that Jesse's hockey-related labor extends beyond the rink.  "She does a lot of work outside of the pro game—women's hockey and girls hockey—and I try to do as much as I can to support that," he points out. "I want all the girls to have the same opportunity that the guys have. It's definitely trending that way, and when you see how good they are and how hard they work, it's much deserved."

And, of course, with the PWHL coming to Detroit, it's impossible to ignore the absence of Division I women's hockey in the state, including at the elder Compher's alma mater, the University of Michigan.

"I think it would do well," says J.T. of the possibility of such a program forming, while admitting that it's not something he's thought much about, because he knew he'd simply end up supporting whatever school (or, as it happened schools) Jesse chose. "I think there's a lot of hockey fans in Michigan. As you see with different colleges and us, I think it would do well. But wherever my sister ended up at school, that's where I was gonna be a fan of, and it was fun to watch the process."

However, in the spirit of women's hockey players finally getting the institutional support their work and talent deserve, perhaps the PWHL's sojourn in Detroit can help correct that absence too.

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