The PWHL is having a global impact, and leagues and federations are working to see where they fit into that impact. The playoffs are also rapidly approaching with PWHL Draft consideration also coming into play.
The PWHL is having a global impact, and leagues and federations are working to see where they fit into that impact. The playoffs are also rapidly approaching with PWHL Draft consideration also coming into play.
Playoff spots and draft positioning are the topics de jour, but they aren't the only topics of note in the PWHL this week. The PWHL has sparked global excitement, but global communication has...lacked. Where federations, the IIHF, and PWHL are communicating, it appears decisions are unclear or informal. The developing issue is whether or not leagues across the globe will choose to work together for the good of the game and growth of women's hockey, or whether they'll coercively work to hold their players, and restrict player movement to higher levels based on nationality.
It's all in the evolution of the post-PWHL launch era, and it's certainly going to take time for leagues and federations to work out agreements. In the grand scheme, the entire women's hockey world, is only four months into examining how the PWHL plays into things.
Here's a look at what we're hearing and seeing across the PWHL this week in a special mid-week edition of PWHL Rumblings.
Communication Breakdown Between IIHF, PWHL, Agents, and GMs
Last week we reported that the IIHF said no signed players would be drafted to the PWHL this season. It appears that agents, players, and general managers didn't get the message. With only days to go before the draft declaration window closes, general managers on both sides of the ocean agree that nothing has been communicated from either the PWHL or IIHF. General managers in the PWHL said that no such rule exists, and general managers in the SDHL said they don't expect a rule like that to stick. One of the main issues being, if such a rule existed, it would hold European clubs hostage in terms of building their rosters until after the PWHL Draft, and potentially until PWHL camps make opening cuts. Similarly, PWHL teams have stated they would welcome the opportunity to sign players, even if it means players staying in Europe for an extra season, as some teams recognize younger players may need more development time. Here's what the IIHF's Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer said in an interview with The Hockey News: "All the parties agree we would all like to respect contracts. IIHF has a very strict transfer regulations and the PWHL basically was agreeing that we should work together on that. Our legal director is going to be in contact with the PWHL just to make sure none of the teams are going to draft players with existing contracts. I think that's a common goal as well, to respect the contracts." While that may have been communicated in the meeting, it's yet to be communicated to players, agents, or general managers, and many are afraid to sign and lose their eligibility, and others are afraid to lose potential roster spots if they don't sign and aren't drafted.
SICO Continues To Risk Sweden's Success
The Swedish Ice Hockey Central Organization (SICO), which governs Swedish agents representing primarily men's athletes in the SHL, continues to play hard ball in banning North American women's hockey agents from representing athletes in Sweden's SDHL. The problem is, for North American agents to become certified under SICO, the organization is requiring them to come to Sweden to take courses this summer, and then return in the Fall to write a test, which the organization will only administer in person in Stockholm. For most women's hockey agents, it would take years to recuperate even a fraction of the cost to complete these tasks based on commission from the level of wages players earn in the SDHL.
Place Bell Will Host PWHL Montreal's Playoff Games
We'll be seeing more games at Place Bell in Laval, as the venue will host Montreal's playoff games according to Pat Laprade. Montreal sold out multiple games this season at Place Bell with crowds of 10,172. The rink became available when the AHL's Laval Rocket missed the playoffs. Should the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs be eliminated from the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, there's been some speculation that PWHL Toronto could host home playoffs games at Scotiabank Arena. The PWHL is obviously capitalizing off larger venues with fan bases continuing to explode.
PWHL Players At Worlds In Austria
PWHL Boston's Theresa Schafzahl is playing for Austria, while PWHL New York's Chloe Aurard and Taylor Baker are skating with France and Hungary respectively at the IIHF Division 1A World Championships in Klagenfurt, Austria. The players are missing PWHL action this week. It's an issue the league and IIHF will correct next season as the Division 1A, Division 1B, and top division of the World Championships will all play during the same international break. Next year this scheduling change could become more important in the PWHL as more members of nations outside the top division could be joining the PWHL. Those players include Austria's Anna Meixner, Netherlands' Kayleigh Hamers, and Norway's Emma Bergesen, Ena Nystrom, and Mathea Fischer. It would not be surprising to see French stars Estelle Duvin and Clara Rozier declare for the 2025 PWHL Draft, and several of the NCAA players in the tournament also will have a chance to join the league in the future.
Was it always going to be the Walter Cup?
While the Walter Cup is what came out, it looks like the Walter family at one point may have envisioned a slight variation to the name. Along with trademarking "Walter Cup," the PWHL also trademarked "Samantha Walter Cup." Samantha Walter is the daughter of Kimbra and Mark Walter, owners of the PWHL. Perhaps it was a thought similar to the Isobel Cup, which was used for the PHF, which was named for the daughter of Lord Frederick Stanley. The only difference is, Isobel Stanley was an avid hockey player, who was the first woman ever photographed playing the sport in 1891. Samantha Walter earned a bachelor degree in history this year from Brown University. She served as a manager with the school's water polo team during her time at Brown.
Gabel Nearing Return?
If there's one good thing about the lengthy break in the PWHL's schedule for the World Championships, it's the fact it gave players a chance to recover. Conversely it cost Katerina Mrazova a month of her year and the first game back after Worlds from an injury she suffered in a pre-tournament game, but for others, like Ottawa's Becca Gilmore and Boston's Loren Gabel, it gave weeks of uninterrupted healing time without the pressure of watching their team play without them. Gabel suffered a shoulder injury on March 16 at the PWHL Takeover Weekend in Detroit and has been out ever since. According to sources, her status has improved significantly, although it's not clear what her timeline for return is. Assuming a 4-6 week recovery time, we're approaching that window, and with PWHL Boston in a dog fight for the final playoff spot, the boost of one of the league's most lethal shooters would be welcomed.