Expansion can’t come soon enough for the PWHL, especially as it relates to the goal of making the league more global. Many of Europe’s top players are reportedly wary of declaring for the PWHL Draft for multiple reasons. First is the lack of ice time and opportunity their peers are receiving in North America. Second is the fact Europe’s top players are currently making more money with their European clubs than they would in the PWHL.
PWHL minimum salaries remain low, sitting at $36,050 this season. Some of the top players in Sweden’s SDHL are making more than this without leaving home, and while playing top line minutes in the SDHL rather than bottom six or bottom pairing minutes in the PWHL.
While there are European players seeing their time in the PWHL including Maja Nylen Persson, Ronja Savolainen, Susanna Tapani, Aneta Tejralova, Katerina Mrazova, and Tereza Vanisova, many international players are struggling to find their place, especially those who are accustomed to top six roles with the club teams.
Most are finding themselves buried on depth charts and are not getting the opportunity to develop, or adapt to smaller ice and faster game in North America. For some European players like Mrazova and Vanisova, they followed the NCAA path and also spent time in the PHF. They were already accustomed to the play when they arrived.
Others like Nylen Persson and Savolainen have had to adapt on the fly.
But another group who arrived directly from Europe, players like Noora Tulus, Daniela Pejsova, Anna Meixner, and Anna Kjellbin have not been given a similar opportunity. Pejsova is a defender who Boston traded up to get at 7th overall, but has not been placed in opportunities to thrive, and even found herself as a healthy scatch this season. Others still, like Noemi Neubauerova, Laura Kluge, and Klara Hymlarova, find themselves playing bottom line minutes, or in the case of Klara Peslarova and Sandra Abstreiter, in third goalie positions. Others including Fanni Gasparics and Akane Shiga, who played in the league last season have since returned to Europe.
The result is some of Europe’s top stars are reporting they are not hearing positive reviews about the opportunities in the PWHL, and it’s causing many to postpone their decisions about the PWHL Draft.
Expansion could change this situation as players would be able to move up depth charts and earn more.
The issue, as reported to The Hockey News by various agents, European players, and general managers could slow the growth of the league’s talent pool. European players in the NCAA like Kristyna Kaltounkova and Natalie Mlynkova this year, and Josefin Bouveng and Nelli Laitinen in the future won’t be impacted after already developing in North America.
But the gap that has formed between the SDHL and PWHL’s talent, coupled with what European players are seeing as a lack of opportunity, could slow the goal of having all the world’s best players in the PWHL.
The issue is exacerbated by the fact next season is an Olympic year, and players want to play and get ice time leading up to the most important event in women’s hockey.
Among players in Europe the PWHL might hope to lure in the coming seasons include Viivi Vainikka, Michele Karvinen, Hanna Olsson, Elisa Holopainen, Lara Stalder, Michela Pejzlova, Sanni Rantala, Sara Hjalmarsson, Jenniina Nylund, Petra Nieminen, Estelle Duvin, Elin Svensson, and Hanna Thuvik.
While the league could survive as a predominantly North American loop, without bringing top Europeans to the PWHL, and having room for them to not only be on rosters, but to play in contributing roles, the international game will suffer and the gap that was closing, will begin to widen.
In the NHL, there's always been a development time for European players as they adapt to less space and less time, but without a development league, those who don't come to the NCAA are feeling the challenge of the PWHL more acutely.
Expansion seems the logical solution. There's also been discussion among PWHL teams that they'd like to see the roster size increase by two spots to 25 for next season.