There are milestone moments in women's hockey. They span back to women first playing the game in the 1890s, to the formation of the Ladies Ontario Hockey Association in 1922 and the Dominion Women's Amateur Hockey Association in 1933. There was the launch of the first long-running women's hockey tournaments in 1967, and the first unofficial women's World Hockey Tournament in 1987.
In the 1990s, the sport took massive leaps forward with the 1990 World Championships and 1998 Olympic Games. Leagues like the NWHL, CWHL, NWHL (again), PHF, and PWHPA all came and went. In 2023, the PWHL was formed.
In 2026 however, it will be the first time in the history of women's hockey where a World Championship, Olympics, and a professional championship in a singular women's league will all be awarded.
The trifecta of major events, has 2026 shaping up to be the biggest year in women's hockey history.
Not only are these events on the docket, but the women's Para Ice Hockey World Championships will return for a second year in 2026 as well following the historic inaugural event in 2025.
Looking at the growth of the game, Hockey Canada and USA Hockey both reported record levels of registration for women's and girls hockey and will almost certainly do so yet again in 2026. The PWHL itself grew by two teams heading west to Vancouver and Seattle, and more expansion is forecasted, perhaps...in 2026.
The PWHL will also welcome the strongest draft class the league has ever witnessed in their 2026 cohort that includes a stacked North American group including Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Tessa Janecke, Nelli Laitinen, Kirsten Simms, Abbey Murphy, Lacey Eden, Emma Peschel and many others. When the 2026 European class is included, it's easy to see that further expansion for the PWHL is immediately feasible from a talent perspective.
Other areas of growth include NCAA Division 1 women's hockey's 45th program at the University of Delaware who will compete for the first time in the 2025-26 season. The ACHA also added a new conference of women's programs known as the ACDC with teams at Clemson, Norwich, Alabama, Alaska, Miami, Southern California, Georgia Southern, Florida, and Florida State, with puck drop for these schools in the 2025-26 season. The ACHA also saw Eastern Michigan and New Mexico add Division 1 teams, and Winona State, High Point, Colby College, Auburn, Connecticut College, Florida State, and Kennesaw State add programs at the Division 2 level.
With growth across the board and across the globe, 2026 continues to shape up to be the biggest year in women's hockey, ever.