Five Early Predictions For The PWHL Season

The PWHL season is still months away, but here are five early predictions for the inaugural PWHL season.

It's early for predictions, considering we don't know how each PWHL roster will shape up. But with the information we have, here are five early predictions for the PWHL season.

1. Expect Non-National Team Members To Score More

Of course Marie-Philip Poulin will be at or near the top of PWHL scoring. The same could be said for Abby Roque, Brianne Jenner, Laura Stacey, Alina Muller, and others. But the pro game will be different than international play. The style will differ, the depth more challenging, and pre-game prep will be superior as the season progresses. The differences in the games will allow some players to thrive, including those who have recently found themselves on the outside of national teams looking in. Players like Jessie Eldridge, Loren Gabel, and Victoria Bach have games that are built for the pro game, where they can enjoy more offensive zone starts and power play opportunities that could find any of these three among league leaders.

2. A Canadian team will emerge as champion

The Toronto Six winning the Isobel Cup title last year was historic for the PHF, and it would not be surprising for a Canadian team to take home a title in year one. On paper, Montreal and Toronto look like two of the top three teams in the league already, and although Ottawa doesn't have the same tier of flashy names, they have a tremendous crop of players with untapped potential who under Carla MacLeod's guidance could shock the PWHL. If an American team is going to win, odds are on Boston right now, but the Canadian cohort in the PWHL looks tough.

3. Someone will crack Team USA or Canada from off the radar

We saw Canada's roster at the Fall selection camp, and we've seen USA's roster for the upcoming Rivalry Series. But let's be honest, Canada has been glacial bringing in new faces, and USA's lack of national scouting relies on an antiquated system of bringing in players that largely overlooks current performance. With all of the professional players in one place, it seems a certainty someone will emerge in the next year as a late addition to Canada or USA's roster. Could we see the return of Kali Flanagan to Team USA? Does a young player like Maureen Murphy who was left off the Rivalry Series roster play her way back on? Is this the year Canada can no longer deny Corinne Schroeder a roster spot? Or will Ashton Bell be unleashed to show her offensive upside has top four potential for Canada? Who knows, perhaps the league opens the door for a fair look for a previously ignored player like Daryl Watts.

4. Significant CBA Revisions Will Continue

The CBA was an excellent start, but there were missing items and it will need to be a living document. It would only make sense for the Players' Association to continue pushing for improvements and revisions. Adding waiver information was the first new piece added, and there are still other items that will need to be written in either via the CBA or league by-laws. While the league made certain decisions for the draft related to the compassionate circumstances, none were in the CBA. That some players who were granted compassionate exemptions were drafted, even if a team did not want that player, that others weren't drafted, and that some who were not granted exemptions removed their names from the draft altogether were all aspects the league dealt with on the fly. Those compassionate waivers won't exist in the future, but some of these players could still factor into the league. Seeing Melodie Daoust and Claire Thompson, for example, outside the league makes little sense. Both should be playing, and it would be surprising to not see one or both find their way in, as there is nothing in the CBA technically preventing them from playing. The stipulation that a player must declare themselves eligible for the draft to be eligible for a contract was not in the CBA, although it may have been an addition made later when the groups met to finalize draft plans. The PWHL / PWHPA collective agreement is almost an exact copy of the NWSL's, but other leagues like the WNBA have significantly more information and detail. It will be interesting to see what in season or post season developments occur. Other areas to watch related to the CBA involve compensation and stipends. There are certain markets where teams have been unable to find housing within the stipend budget for players, meaning players are being asked to live with other families, in spare bedrooms, etc. Related to this, some players will find a liveable wage unattainable. Increased minimum salaries, or housing stipends, revenue share on media deals, and solutions related to the proposed ban on agent fees will all be items for discussion to protect the compensation of players.

5. European Interest Will Start Soon

There weren't many European players drafted, but that could change quickly. The league will need to decide who is eligible for the 2024 PWHL Draft. Will it be for players under a certain age, or will all European free agents be eligible. With the season in Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland ending prior to the World Championships, if players are free agents, there's a chance some could be added late in the season, or begin signing toward season two. The first order of business will be developing a formal transfer process with the SDHL, Naisten Liiga, SWHL, ZHL, and EWHL for players in order to meet regulations set forward by the IIHF. Once that process is decided, the flood gates could open early. The interest here will be how the PWHL approaches year one. With the PWHL season expected to extend to June, European players will be available midway through the season. If nothing else, it could give Lina Ljungblom an opportunity to come over, although her play early in the SDHL season has seen a significant dip.