PWHL First Round Picks Will Get $50,000, Second and Third Also Guaranteed More

The PWHL and PWHLPA have agreed to minimum pay for players selected in the first three rounds of the PWHL Draft including first round picks who will earn $50,000 next year.

Last year, every player selected in the first two rounds received a three year contract paying a minimum of $80,000. That stretched into the third round as well as five of the six picks in the third round also signed guaranteed three year deals for a minimum of $80,000.

This year, top draft picks will not be eligible for the same money or guaranteed terms their peers earned last year. But they will get paid more than most returning players this season.

The PWHL and PWHLPA have agreed to guaranteed minimums for all players selected in the opening three rounds of the PWHL Draft. 

First round picks will be paid $50,000 under the new agreement.

According to sources, second round picks will receive $42,500 while third round picks will receive $40,000.

The league minimum will be $36,050 this season, a 3% increase as prescribed by the PWHL / PWHLPA collective bargaining agreement over last season’s $35,000 minimum.

Adding the three new tiers of contracts will ensure there is little to no money available for returning free agents, and that the number of players earning league minimum this season will increase over last season. Last year the CBA stated no more than nine players per roster could make league minimum. This season that restriction is lifted, and there is no minimum to how many players per team can make the league minimum. 

The league salary during year one was based last season on a $55,000 per player average, the bulk of which was made up by the six players per roster making $80,000 or more, with some players in the league making in excess of $150,000. 

This season the league average will increase to $56,650 but almost all of that increase will be made up by the guaranteed 3% raises built into almost all three year contracts for those highly paid players, the 3% raise to league minimums, and the newly created draft minimums.