The PWHL Won’t Just Make One League For Women's Hockey—It Will Make It Better

There are many benefits to the PWHL. It ends the ebbs and flows of other pro iterations and will become the future of consistency, not only for play, but for training, and it will benefit women's hockey on a wider level.

Before the advent of the PWHL earlier this month, elite women's hockey players had to get creative when it came to honing their skills.

It was “kind of a mess,” says Jincy Roese, assistant captain of the PWHL’s Ottawa team and a veteran of Team USA.

Roese would train with her sister Joy who plays for Ohio State and coach hockey among other things to sustain herself financially.

There was international hockey, university hockey, and professional leagues but there was no singular, consensus location for the game to grow.

“It's been kind of all over the place the last couple years”, Roese told The Hockey News.

Emily Clark, who plays forward for Ottawa and Team Canada, says she didn’t need to work on the side to stay afloat, but many of her teammates did.

“We had PWHPA girls that were working full time," Clark told The Hockey News. “They would make whatever practices they could but for the most part, only a handful of us were fortunate enough to get to train full time. So, a lot of skates [with] four or five people, a lot of skill sessions.”

Now, the PWHL is paying an average salary of $55,000 USD and providing women’s hockey players coaching and training facilities. The minimum annualized base salary excluding performance or incentive compensation will be $35,000. In addition, there’s a $1500 per month housing stipend, which will increase by $100 each year of the contract. Players get meal per diems and even maternity leave. They practice and play like NHLers, consistently day in and day out making the players better.

“So, the (PWHL) just grows your game so much,” says Roese. “Just having that consistent aspect of things and having coaches you work with day in and day out: people that push you to be better every day.”

Over the past several years, there was the Canadian Women’s Hockey league which folded in 2019, which was followed by the PWHPA, and the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) as options for players. After the PHF was bought out by Mark Walter and Billie Jean King in June 2023, they created the PWHL.

The comprehensive professionalism of the PWHL makes it different. Following the acquisition of the PHF and announcement of a new league, the PWHPA promptly signed an eight-year collective bargaining agreement with the new league.

Brianne Jenner, a member of Team Canada and one of the best players in the world, refused to play in the old PHF opting instead for the PWHPA. She now plays for Ottawa in the PWHL.

"It's awesome to not have to worry about creating that professional environment for yourself. The last number of years, you got to figure out your schedule," Jenner told The Hockey News.

Now, instead of finding players and ways to practice, Jenner, can fully focus on honing her craft like never before.

"You have people surrounding you helping you,” she said, “Then you have other players that are pushing you on a daily basis.”

“So, I think it's just going to elevate our game. I think you saw in the first four games this week, just the level of athleticism and intensity and physicality and I think it's just going to continue to go up and up."

Before joining the PWHL, Hayley Scamurra would practice with her hometown University of Maryland men’s hockey team.

“And then when I couldn't practice with them," said Scamurra. “I'd practice by myself and have someone come out and shoot and pass pucks at me--like little things like that.”

“So, it was tough. It was a grind for sure.”

“I think the word we use a lot is “Pro” and I feel I am a pro hockey player," says Becca Gilmore of PWHL Ottawa. “And to have that consistently day in and day out is what makes that dream come true. This is a league that's going to last.”

The PWHL generated an astounding 2.9 million television viewers in its first week being broadcast nationally in Canada. Rinks were sold out in Ottawa and Toronto and near capacity in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“In the last two months, I feel like I've grown more as a player than maybe the last year or two combined,” Clark said. 

Players are already noticing the buzz around the PWHL, and are excited that little girls can now dream of a single league.

“I was at Walmart with my mom yesterday and heard two women when I was passing by them talking about the game," Clark said. "They didn't see me but just to feel that buzz and see the fruits of our labor become a reality has been really special."