Q &A With Jayna Hefford: Expansion, Takeover Tour, Evolution of the Game, and New League Partnerships

The PWHL continues to grow the sport of women's hockey, not just on the ice, but through new partnerships and innovations. This week the PWHL announced a new partnership with Gatorade and the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

As part of the collaboration,  Jayna Hefford, the PWHL's executive vice president of hockey operations completed a Q & A with The Hockey News' Ian Kennedy discussing the growth of the sport, the PWHL's role, and current initiatives including the PWHL Takeover Tour and expansion.

Read the full Q & A below:

Kennedy: You've watched developments on and off the ice in women's hockey over the last few decades. From your perspective, what are some of the most significant changes you've seen, and how do you think the PWHL is continuing to evolve the sport?

Hefford: The most significant change is that we've gone from fighting for ice time to selling out arenas. When I started playing, we were just trying to prove we belonged on the ice. Now we're setting attendance records and people are buying tickets months in advance. But it's not just about visibility. We're finally seeing partners invest in ways that go beyond just putting logos on jerseys. What Gatorade's doing through the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, sweat testing 100 PWHL players to establish female-specific hydration data - that's the kind of investment that treats our athletes like the elite professionals they are. The PWHL is evolving by attracting these kinds of meaningful partnerships and by setting a standard for what women's professional hockey should look like. We're building something that's meant to last.

Kennedy: While the game is growing, there are still obvious gaps in the investment, funding, research, media coverage, and support women's hockey sees globally. Since the founding of the PWHL, where have you seen those gaps reduced, and where do you think more can still be done?

Hefford: We've made real progress in some areas. The PWHL has established itself as a legitimate professional league, bringing more than 1.2 million fans to our games in just two seasons. We've attracted partners who are investing not just for visibility but in our athletes' development and performance. We have also seen growth in media coverage and our media partners. That said, there is still a substantial gap in how brands invest in women’s sports, compared to men’s, and that disparity has a ripple effect across our ecosystem. Strategic partnerships are essential to expanding the league’s footprint, increasing exposure, and sustaining long-term growth for the PWHL.

And when you look at the research side, that 6% statistic - only 6% of sports science research focuses on female athletes - shows how much ground we need to cover. That's why what Gatorade's Sports Science Institute is doing matters so much. They're helping to close that gap by establishing female-specific hydration data that will benefit not just current PWHL players but every female hockey player coming up after them. We need more partners willing to make that kind of investment across the board - in research, in infrastructure, in long-term athlete development.

Kennedy: Looking at this year, there's a lot of exciting new moments on the schedule. An expanded league with eight teams, a bigger PWHL Takeover Tour, and the league's first visit to the Olympics. What are your thoughts on the year to come, what it means for the game, and what kind of impact this type of year could have at the grassroots level?

Hefford: It's an incredibly exciting time. We're not even two years old and we're already expanding to 8 teams and 120 games. Adding Vancouver and Seattle gives us a Pacific Northwest rivalry and establishes the PWHL as a truly North American league. The Olympics in February will be huge for visibility - we're expecting about 25% of PWHL players to compete on the world stage, which is fantastic exposure for our league. We see it as an opportunity to grow awareness of the PWHL among viewers who want to follow our athletes after the Games, especially international fans who may not yet be as familiar with the league.

At the grassroots level, this sends such a powerful message to the next generation. Young girls can now see a clear pathway - play youth hockey, maybe play NCAA or U SPORTS, and then there's a professional league waiting for you in your own backyard. When I was growing up, the dream was to play for Team Canada because that was the only option. Now players don’t have to wait every four years for that one big moment – they have a league that offers real careers and a new professional standard for women’s professional hockey. That changes everything for how girls and their families think about hockey as a viable path.

Kennedy: The PWHL Takeover Tour schedule came out recently and there were several new markets, and some getting a pair of games this year. How does this shift to multiple dates in the same market relate to expansion plans, as much as to continuing to grow your fan base?

Hefford: Hosting multiple Takeover Tour games in certain markets is a strategic decision on a few levels. First and foremost, it allows us to build on momentum in places where the response from fans has been incredible. When we see strong demand and great engagement, it makes sense to return and deepen that connection.

It also gives us valuable insights - from how different days of the week perform to how local partnerships and grassroots activations can grow over time. These markets play an important role not only in expanding our fan base, but also in informing how we think about long-term opportunities for the league, including future expansion.

Kennedy: Looking back at your own career, and looking at where the sport is at today, what are the biggest shifts in your eyes?

Hefford: The biggest shift is that there's a viable professional pathway now. When I was playing, your career path was basically: play in university, maybe play in a semi-professional league where you're making next to nothing, and hope to make the national team because that was the only place you could be a full-time athlete. Now players have a real professional league with salaries, benefits, and infrastructure that allows them to focus on hockey as their career.

The visibility has changed dramatically too. We went from playing in small rinks in front of a few hundred people to selling out arenas with 20,000 fans. Media coverage has exploded too - games are on national television, highlights are on sports networks, people are talking about our players the way they talk about other professional athletes. That cultural shift, where women's hockey is seen as legitimate professional sport worth following and investing in, that's massive.

And then there's how female athletes are being treated. We're finally getting the kind of support and resources that recognize us as elite athletes. The work that we’re doing with Gatorade Sports Science Institute is just one example - but it reflects a broader shift with investments in performance science, proper training facilities and athlete development. This is what the next generation deserves.

Kennedy: Did you ever expect it to get here, and how does it make you feel personally to have played the role you have in this movement?

Hefford: When we were working to create a sustainable league, I thought it would take much longer to gain this kind of traction. The speed of the growth has been incredible.

I spent 17 years on the national team just grateful to be able to play hockey at the highest level, never really thinking about what came after or what a professional career could look like beyond the Olympics. I had to work other jobs, we all did. We played in leagues that operated on shoestring budgets. We made it work because we loved the game, and we loved competing at the top level.

Now I'm in a position where I get to help build something that gives the next generation what we never had - a career path in hockey. When I see players in the PWHL who can focus solely on being professional athletes, who don't have to worry about working a second job or whether the league will exist next year, that hits me. These players are getting to live the dream we couldn't quite reach. And knowing I had a small part in making that possible? That means everything. It makes every sacrifice, every year of uncertainty, worth it.