PWHL’s Uninterrupted Season: How Moving The Women’s World Championship To November Benefits Players

For the first time since its inception, the PWHL will play an entire season without a break for international competition.

Those interruptions have been a major source of criticism throughout the league’s first three seasons.

In the inaugural 2024 season, the first pause came just over a month into the schedule, with play suspended from February 5 to 13 for the Rivalry Series between Canada and the United States. The league then took another break from March 26 to April 17 to accommodate the World Championship, held that April.

In 2024-25, the league paused from December 9 to 16 for the Euro Hockey Tour, then again from February 3 to 10 for the Rivalry Series. A third and final break ran from April 3 to 25 for the World Championship, leaving just one week of regular-season games when play resumed.

Last season marked the first time the Rivalry Series did not interrupt the PWHL schedule. The league still paused from December 8 to 15 for the Euro Hockey Tour, followed by a much longer break from January 29 to February 25 for the Winter Olympics.

After the Rivalry Series, the next step was to move the World Championship outside the PWHL’s regular season window. That change takes effect this year, with the tournament moving to its new November slot for the first time, running from November 6 to 16 in Denmark.

The PWHL’s only scheduled break this season will run from March 1 to 8 for the All-Star Game.

For the players who have a chance to make a national team, the new calendar will certainly take some getting used to.

“It’s a completely different women’s hockey environment right now, with Worlds being at the forefront of it,” said Laura Stacey after Team Canada’s practice on Tuesday in Quebec City. “So, I think it’s a learning curve for all of us. We’ve got to figure that out. Obviously, it changed our summer training a bit, and the focus was on getting back on the ice, getting back into that game shape and getting those game touches as quickly as possible, because the season’s here pretty much. And starting with the World Championships, you want to show your best; you want to be at your best. So, obviously, it changed a bit of our off-season.”

Daryl Watts, Canada’s leading scorer at the most recent Olympics, echoed Stacey’s thoughts while reflecting on the PWHL’s lengthy off-season.

“It’s obviously so different, and the approach to this season is so different from any prior season,” said the PWHL Detroit forward. “So, you know, it’ll be interesting to see, going from Worlds right into PWHL training camp. But, you know, I think we’re all excited to finally get to play some hockey because, obviously, our off-season is incredibly long.”

It is a long off-season. While the Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge played their final game on May 20, most PWHL players finished their seasons a month earlier, and college players wrapped up in March.

With the 2026-27 season not starting until December, the gap between games will stretch to seven or eight months for the vast majority of the league’s players.

While there are ways to shorten that gap, the World Championship now offers some players a chance to return to competition before the PWHL season begins.

That said, the previous World Championship breaks were especially difficult for players who stayed behind. They had to continue practising without playing games, often without some of their team’s leaders and, at times, with a shortage of goalies.

“I think it’s kind of nice for the PWHL,” said Ottawa Charge forward Rebecca Leslie. “I mean, I’ve obviously never been to an international tournament during the season, so for us, when we stayed back and just practised, it was tough. You miss out on games and the opportunity to develop in games, and it makes the season long. So, it’s nice now to have it at the beginning of the year and kind of get it over with, and then you can focus on your club team.”

Jennifer Gardiner made her World Championship debut in 2025, during her rookie PWHL season with the Montreal Victoire. When she returned, only three regular-season games remained—a situation she still remembers well.

“I feel like in past Worlds, at least in 2025, it was right before playoffs, but not quite at the end of the season. So, it almost felt like it interrupted your flow in the PWHL. I mean, not interrupted in a bad way. It’s an honour, and it’s exciting when you get to go play. But I do think having it separate and having it beforehand allows everybody to stay focused on their mission, not be too distracted and not be focused on trying out and competing for two different teams at once.”

For Stacey, that separation was already reflected in her summer preparation.

“I feel like for most athletes this summer, the focus was on October 7. That was camp. And November 18, when PWHL training camp starts, is around the corner, but it’s a different story. That wasn’t necessarily the focus of training or the way that a lot of us probably ran our strength and conditioning programs. Like, October 7 was go time. And so, yeah, I definitely think that it felt like two seasons, and it was really nice to get to focus on this camp and focus on bringing my best to try out for Team Canada.”

Speaking last Friday, Team Canada GM Danièle Sauvageau said the new calendar effectively divides women’s hockey into two distinct seasons.

“It’s like we now have two seasons: the professional league from November to June, then the national team from June to November. That will give professional players the time they need to recover, then gradually return to off-ice training before getting back on the ice. So, the timing is excellent. It puts a lot of strain on these players to play for their respective teams and then go to the World Championship. Some return from Worlds and go straight into the playoffs, whether they’re healthy or dealing with an injury. I think this will be a much better schedule from the athlete’s perspective.”