PWHPA Continues To Fire Shots At PHF

Hilary Knight called into question the professional nature of the PHF this week, a message stated multiple times in the last year by the PWHPA.

PWHPA board member and Team USA captain Hilary Knight minced no words when asked about the PWHPA's path compared to North America's only current professional women's hockey league, the PHF.

In fact, Knight called into question whether or not the PHF is actually a professional league saying she does not like "the illusion of professionalism," while discussing the many European players who have recently signed in the PHF while the PWHPA was working to launch their own professional women's hockey league.

“What bothers me is the illusion of professionalism and what women’s hockey should be, and settling for what it is, right? And I think that’s the big distinction is let’s call it what it is. For people who really want to change the game and make it professional and give hockey, women’s hockey particularly, the legs that it needs to actually get up and go in the right direction and make it sustainable, that’s what it’s all about.”

"What it is" currently is the PHF. 

The messaging of superiority and discrediting the professional nature of the PHF has been a trend from the PWHPA.

In marketing materials circulated to NCAA and USports players in April 2022, the PWHPA stated their mission is to "establish the first truly professional and viable women's ice hockey league in North America showcasing the world's greatest players," a statement contesting the talent and viability of the PHF and the 161 players who competed in the league in 2022-2023.

For this season, the PHF announced increase in their salary cap from $750,000 to $1.5 million per team, paying several woman more than $100,000 per season to play. The league also established health benefits for all players, and instituted several other pieces of policy and built logistical supports, which were all initial concerns of the PWHPA when justifying why the groups would not be amalgamating. 

In April 2023,  former world champion and Olympic gold medalist as a member of Team USA, Kacey Bellamy, signed a contract for $122,000 USD to play for the PHF's Connecticut Whale this year. Only nine days later, PWHPA board member and Canadian national team member Brianne Jenner stated those not on the Canadian or American national teams have to get day jobs, and will never have the opportunity to realize their potential.

"For our generation, it's frustrating that outside of the top 50 players that are playing on their respective national teams in North America, players 50 through 200 have to get 9-to-5 jobs and never have the opportunity to realize their potential as pro players," she said.

The comment also calls into question the unrealized potential of international legends such as Jenni Hiirikoski, Petra Nieminen, and others.

Since then, many contracts in the PHF have been signed for salaries well above what is considered a liveable wage including the signings of Kennedy Marchment ($130,000), Daryl Watts ($150,000), Taylor Girard ($110,000), Allie Munroe ($105,000), Liz Schepers ($112,250 AAV), Madison Packer ($92,500), and Kati Tabin ($110,000). Other playing including rookies Emma Seitz ($72,500) and Maude Pouline-Labelle ($69,000) signed contracts directly out of the NCAA. It's not possible to provide a full picture, as salary disclosure is at player discretion alone. Some teams, including the Metropolitan Riveters of the PHF, committed this season to pay every member of their roster above the league minimum.

Last season players in the PWHPA were paid $24,000 each for their participation in a "promotional period," a time frame which included another edition of the Dream Gap Tour, while the group continued to negotiate a CBA and plan for a new professional women's hockey league to compete with the PHF. 

In the same interview with the Associated Press, Knight stated she's not worried about the forthcoming launch of the PWHPA's league.

“I’m not anxious yet. You know, I’m on the board, so I get a little peek behind the curtain so to speak. I know people who aren’t necessarily in the mix are like, `What’s going to happen next year? How’s this going to work? It’s already mid-June.′ And I totally get that. So I’m excited about this year. I think that’s all I can say.”

One player from the PWHPA who did praise the PHF's progress is Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin. In February 2023 in an interview with the Toronto Star, Poulin commented on the PHF saying, “I think if you can make hockey your full-time job, that’s what we fight for. Those girls keep getting what they are getting, and us as well. We’ll keep pushing for that.”

This season, there was a shift in signings to the PHF, with many top players from the NCAA, USports, and international play choosing the league. Those players included Alina Müller, a player TSN ranked as the 11th best player in the world, directly ahead of players like Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Amanda Kessel. The year prior TSN ranked her 6th. Other recent PHF signees including Noora Räty, who served on the PWHPA board until her signing, Susanna Tapani, and Akane Shiga were also members of TSN's 25 best women's players in the world lists the last two years. This offseason several other current national team members from across the world have signed in the PHF, including players like Emma Soderberg, who was named a World Championship All-Star this year. The PHF also includes six members of the World Championship bronze medal winning Czechia, as well as national team members from USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, France, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, China, and Denmark, as well as Olympic and World Championship gold medalists Kali Flanagan, Sidney Morin, Amanda Pelkey, Kacey Bellamy, Becca Gilmore, Shiann Darkangelo, and Melissa Samoskevich. 

The fight for players has been ongoing, and will intensify when the PWHPA launches their league. With 161 athletes competing in the PHF last season, and 98 in the PWHPA, a shift in numbers continues for both groups.

Last season according to Eliteprospects, 30 former PWHPA players competed in the PHF. This year, the additions of Räty to the Metropolitan Riveters and Bellamy, who signed with the Connecticut Whale, along with Brianna Decker, another former PWHPA player, who left the Association to work for the PHF last year, shows a continued shift in participation from the PWHPA to the PHF has continued. 

According to Eliteprospects, 181 players were part of the PWHPA in 2019-2020, the Association's inaugural year. That number dipped only slightly in year two falling to 175, before dropping sharply to 109 in 2021-2022, and to 98 this past season. That number last season included 13 goaltenders spread across four teams. 

Last week, PWHPA lead consultant Jayna Hefford sent an update to members stating that the PWHPA and their investors are "at the finish line" in terms of the work needing to be done to launch their own league. In 2022, the PWHPA incorporated their new league in Delaware under "PWHL Holdings LLC."

Hefford stated she expects teams to be preparing for their season by this Fall. 

The PHF and PWHPA last discussed a merger in April 2022, at which time the PWHPA decided not to proceed with the PHF.