Eight Things We Learned About The 2026-27 Season From The PWHL's Schedule Release

The PWHL unveiled their largest schedule ever with 180 games for the now 12-team league. With the release however, there were many questions answered about how the league would operate this season and into the future.

The first three seasons of PWHL action have been filled with stops and starts. From the Rivalry Series and the Women's Euro Hockey Tour, to World Championship tournaments and the 2026 Olympics. In 2026-27 however, there are no international breaks built into the PWHL schedule. With the World Championships moved to November, and three of four Women's Euro Hockey Tour stops coming before PWHL camps open, the PWHL season is going to proceed uninterrupted for the first time in the league's short history. It could be why the PWHL's season is actually three weeks shorter this season beginning December 5 rather than November 21, and ending April 18 rather than April 25 last season. The next international break is slated for prior to PWHL camps, and the one after that in early February, but there will be no stop to the PWHL schedule. Could some players still be released to play international games this season? Certainly. In particular a team like Hamilton could allow one of their international goaltenders, whether it be Germany's Sandra Abstreiter or Denmark's Emma-Sofie Nordstrom to head overseas to get some starts. But don't expect any big names to leave their teams.

There was plenty of debate surrounding how the 12-team PWHL should align. Would they choose three divisions, two conferences, or stay as one league? In the end, the league opted or an imbalanced schedule of matchups giving teams more or less games against each other seemingly at random by splitting the league into an Eastern and Western Conference. Every team in the PWHL will face each other at least twice, but teams will play either three or four games against in-conference teams, which with a 3-2-1 point system could put some teams at a disadvantage if they end up facing top teams more often. Ultimately, the Western Conference now includes Vancouver, Seattle, Las Vegas, San Jose, Minnesota, and Detroit, with the Eastern Conference featuring New York, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton. Detroit is the lone "Western" Conference team in the Eastern time zone, meaning they'll make far more cross-continent trips than any other team.

Four teams from each conference will qualify for the 2027 Walter Cup playoffs growing the playoff pool from four teams to eight. As in past years, the first place team will get to choose between the third or fourth place finisher for their opening round opponent. Unlike past seasons, this decision will now occur in each conference.

In the Western Conference, at least three new teams will qualify for the playoffs for the first time ever, including one expansion team. Last season neither Vancouver nor Seattle made the playoffs in their inaugural season, and the only Western Conference team ever to appear in the postseason is the Minnesota Frost. In the East, it's conceivable four previously qualified playoff teams could again make the postseason, but it's highly likely either Hamilton or New York will break that up. 

With the playoff system moving from four to eight teams, the PWHL is also welcoming a new playoff round. A Conference semi-final will be born playing a best two-of-three series. It will be followed by a Conference final, and the Walter Cup finals, both playing best three-of-five series. With the conference system, it means there's also a good chance a new team will be playing for the Walter Cup this season as last year's finalists, Montreal and Ottawa, cannot meet in the finals. Only the Minnesota Frost could return from the Western Conference. Should any of the other five teams advance, it will be their first trip to the playoffs, and finals. 

The PWHL Takeover Tour is moving from 16 games in 2025-26 to 24 games in 2026-27. Last season, for the first time, multiple games were awarded to several markets, and it's expected some markets will again host multiple games. Last year it included sold out games in Hamilton, and a lacklustre showing in Chicago, as well as a pair of games in Detroit that propelled the market from expansion contender to expansion lock. Washington is one market that has openly stated they're like multiple games this time around. But with the PWHL moving to new markets permanently, it can be expected they'll also move to new markets for the Takeover Tour. Expect at least one on the Pacific Coast, and it would be surprising to see the league not test run a Florida market, return to Texas, try new American markets like Nashville, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, or Columbus, and to give the non-PWHL Canadian markets a dose as well. One interesting weekend to circle is January 23 and 24 where there are four games designated as Takeover or neutral site across the league. The PWHL's Takeover Tour growth is a way to market the league, but also, don't expect the league's expansion freeze to last longer than a single season with another round on the horizon as soon as the 2028-29 season.

In Canada, CBC, TSN, Sportsnet, and Prime will all broadcast games nationally. In the United States, Scripps Sports' ION will be the national broadcaster, and games will remain on YouTube as well. This includes 19 nationally broadcasted Saturday games as part of ION's coverage, including the ION Game of the Week. In Canada, Hockey Night in Canada was the big announcement this year as the PWHL takes over the historic broadcast. They'll broadcast eight Saturday night games this season showcasing Canada's PWHL teams across the nation...well, except the Ottawa Charge who will not be featured in a single Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, at home or on the road, this season.

Traditionally, the PWHL's scheduling has featured frustrating gaps in play with some teams having weeks between games, and the league itself having stretches without games. This year, there are days without games, but they never stretch beyond back-to-back nights. The rest of the calendar is filled with PWHL action that will keep fans across the league satiated, as long as they're willing to watch a team other than their own. The only exception to this spans from March 1 to March 8. That's the gap for the PWHL All-Star week that will see four All-Star teams from PWHL USA, PWHL Canada, PWHL International, and PWHL Rookies face off on March 7 in Toronto before play resumes on March 9.