When the PWHLPA released all salaries from the 2025-26 PWHL season, there was a lack of context without the salaries from the league's first two seasons. Here's a look at some of the fascinating numbers the salary disclosure didn't tell you.
PWHL salaries are now public for the 2025-26 season after the PWHLPA unveiled the full list of salaries for 194 players who skated in the 2026-26 PWHL season.
It was a massive step forward for the players who continue to negotiate for better compensation from the league. But the numbers, as a solo disclosure without salaries from the 2024 season and 2024-25 season, as well as the future 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29 seasons, doesn't show the full picture.
Salaries have shuffled significantly for some players who have differing structures. Whether it's players on front loaded deals, those facing sizeable raises, moves during expansion, or players who accepted cuts to open more salary for teammates, there were numbers hidden within the numbers.
Montreal's Stars Take Cuts To Win The Walter Cup
When Daniele Sauvageau looked to extend her three foundational stars — Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renee Desbiens, and Laura Stacey — it came with a significant ask. Despite Poulin coming off winning the Billie Jean King MVP Award and leading the team in goals, and Desbiens winning PWHL Goaltender of the Year, Sauvageau asked all three to take a pay cut instead of the raise they each deserved. Why? They needed to more depth if they wanted to win the Walter Cup, and the team didn't have the money. So Poulin, who made $121,570, Desbiens who made $94,972, and Stacey who made $89,974 in 2024-25, took cuts for the team, and to win. Those cuts were $11,354 for Poulin, $4,972 for Desbiens, and $11,974 for Stacey, plus the 3% increase they each gave up, equal to another $9,195 in freed up funds for Sauvageau. In total it was almost the identical equivalence of buying Montreal an extra league-minimum salary as the cuts totalled $37,495. Montreal also saw the New York Sirens retain the $29,827 difference between Abby Roque's salary and Kristin O'Neill's to make that deal possible. In the end, Montreal was able to sign Maggie Flaherty, Hayley Scamurra, Shiann Darkangelo, Jessica DiGirolamo, and Jade Downie-Landry in free agency. And the result was a Walter Cup title.
Clark, Fillier Numbers Misleading Without Context Of Salary Structure
Without the release of 2024-25 numbers, which were published by The Hockey News in March, or what signed players are slated to make in 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29, there's missing context in some numbers. It includes significant decreases ahead for the league's highest paid players Emily Clark and Sarah Fillier.
The advertisement of Emily Clark as the highest paid player in the PWHL with a $126,090 salary this season is fact. It is the number Clark was paid this year, but flash forward to next season, and she'll be outside the top 40 in league salaries. Clark will drop drastically to $82,910 in 2026-27. It's a $43,180 decrease. It was a front loaded deal to make up the salary cap space Ottawa needed this year, while giving the team significant flexibility to sign free agents this offseason. And she's not the only member of the Charge who will take a cut as star netminder Gwyneth Philips will drop from $91,200 down to $80,000 next season. No team in the PWHL has stark drops on the books like Ottawa, but it has the Charge poised to be able to make major moves this offseason.
Sarah Fillier is another big name on a front loaded deal. Fillier was paid $125,000 this season, second only to Clark, but her salary is also scheduled to drop this year to $110,000, a $15,000 reduction. With Roque's salary off the books in New York as well, the Sirens will have an abundance of cash to re-sign players like Casey O'Brien, and target free agents. Fillier's $125,000 was the biggest raise in the PWHL over her $50,000 rookie salary.
Some Took Cuts, Some Took Raises To Head West
To head west to join the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes and build the league's footprint, some players received raises, others took cuts.
Alex Carpenter took a salary cut from $100,786 with New York to $90,000 with Seattle to join the Torrent, while Sarah Nurse went from $95,481 with Toronto to $85,000 with Vancouver.
Others like Cayla Barnes ($51,000 with Montreal to $70,000 with Seattle), Corrine Schroeder ($50,000 with New York to $60,000 with Seattle), Jennifer Gardiner ($45,000 with Montreal to $50,000 with Vancouver), and Claire Thompson ($60,000 with Minnesota to $82,500 with Vancouver) received raises.
The rest of the inaugural five signings for each team, Hilary Knight ($106,090 with Boston, $106,090 with Seattle), Danielle Serdachny ($67,500 with Ottawa, $67,500 with Seattle) Sophie Jaques ($84,872 with Minnesota, $85,000 with Vancouver), and Emerance Maschmeyer ($90,177 with Ottawa, $90,000 with Vancouver) took nearly identical numbers.
Pay Days In Free Agency, For Most
No player capitalized off PWHL free expansion and free agency more last season than Tereza Vanisova who went from earning $45,000 in 2024-25 with the Ottawa Charge, to $90,000 with the Vancouver Goldeneyes. Ottawa made her a competitive offer, but instead the raise they planned for Vanisova, was given to players like Clark and Philips in the front loaded portions of their deals. They also used it to sign Brooke Hobson for $72,500, after the defender made $50,000 playing for New York last season.
Overall, 25 players swapped teams in the offseason. They, on average, received a $12,932 raise to make a move. Of those players, only Jincy Roese, Maggie Flaherty, Clair DeGeorge, and Jade Downie-Landry took pay cuts. Roese took the largest cut at $5,000.
The rest were on the rise paced by Vanisova's $45,000 raise. The next biggest bumps in pay were to Hannah Miller (+ $40,000), Michela Cava (+ $33,000), Mikyla Grant-Mentis (+ $25,950), Zoe Boyd (+ $23,500), Liz Shepers (+ $23,000), and Hobson (+ $22,500).
Missing Elements Explained
There's a group of 15 players not listed on the PWHL salary disclosure who signed at various points in the PWHL season.
That list includes Noemi Neubauerovà Olivia Zafuto, Sam Cogan, Kaitlyn O’Donohoe, Maya Labad, Kira Juodikis, Olivia Knowles, Brooke Bryant, Marah Wagner, Emily Zumwinkle, Lauren Messier, Brianna Brooks, Sini Karjalainen, Darcie Lappan, and Malia Schneider.
It's almost certain that this group were all making the league minimum of $37,131.50.
The numbers don't matter when calculating the "cap" because the PWHL's salary cap is tied to the league average, this season $58,349.50. Teams can fluctuate within 10% of that during the season, but since it's an average, those salaries that are then cut or released from the team, don't count since it's not a total, but an average teams are maintaining.
Some of those elements are the fact that some PWHL contracts are guaranteed, while others aren't. In general, all multi-year contracts are guaranteed. Originally in the PWHL's first season, it was only the six players each team signed to three-year $80,000 or greater deals. The length and structure of deals is an element the PWHLPA may choose to add in the future to show how many PWHL players are living precariously signed to deals that can be voided at any moment. In other leagues, like the NHL, there are buyouts, and players not on the active roster are still paid their salary. If a PWHL player is moved to reserve or cut, their salary does not follow.
There are also league minimums for rookies, although that has been debated and bounced in and out of use. The 2025 PWHL Draft saw almost all of the league's top picks get slightly above the minimums, with the lowest paid PWHL first round pick from 2025 earning $50,000.