The PWHL is heading into 2026 with a full head of steam as the league continues to grow both on and off the ice. Here's a look at three predictions for the league in 2026.
The PWHL is turning the corner into 2026 as the league hits the one-third mark of their 2025-26 regular season. Early on, almost nothing went as expected in the first post-expansion season. Teams spent weeks figuring out their identities and learning to play with new linemates in a shuffled PWHL.
Seattle and Vancouver continued to draw crowds well above anything the league has experienced at regular home venues before, while the PWHL Takeover Tour's attendance numbers actually declined.
With a new calendar year upon us, here are five bold predictions for the 2026 portion of the PWHL's 2025-26 season.
1. For The First Time, A Forward Won't Win The PWHL's Rookie of the Year Award
If anyone is going to spoil this prediction, it's New York Sirens forward Kristyna Kaltounkova, but after two seasons of forwards - Grace Zumwinkle and Sarah Fillier - winning the PWHL Rookie of the Year Award, a defender, or goalie, will win the award in 2026.
Haley Winn is the leading candidate to take the honor at this point. playing a crucial role in Boston's early success on their top pairing alongside Megan Keller. She's not there to be supported by Keller. however; she's on equal footing atop that group contributing in an impactful way night in and night out.
If a goaltender is going to take the award this season, keep an eye on Seattle Torrent netminder Hannah Murphy. Bumps along the way can be expected for a young goalie, but if the Torrent are going to contend, Murphy may be the key component to that mix.
2. The PWHL Will Ignore Popular Locations Like Halifax, Hamilton, and Quebec City
They're probably the three most logical expansion destinations for a variety of reasons. Hamilton and Quebec City have NHL-sized arenas ready to brand for the PWHL. The locations are going to draw some of the strongest Takeover Tour attendance marks, and the communities have all spoken repeatedly on their readiness to support the league.
But if two of those locations were chosen, it would mean the PWHL would need to ignore one of Denver or Edmonton, something that seems highly unlikely. With West Coast expansion underway with teams in Vancouver and Seattle, the PWHL has set the stage to expand their geographic footprint toward the west. Denver and Edmonton are the logical steps to fill the Mountain Time zone. It leaves only two other potential expansion locations, and the league to date has also shown they want to balance Canadian and American markets. Chicago showed poorly in their Takeover Tour debut, and Detroit has strong attendance, but the issue of a very full venue, although the league certainly wants to look at one of those markets as well.
If the league expands to Denver and Edmonton as many expect, it means only one of Canada's remaining and ready markets will get a team if the league continues to balance American and Canadian franchises....unless relocation for the New York Sirens gains traction. The league continues to show a trend to mimic men's hockey in many ways, and ignoring Canadian markets could be next, although it would be unwise.
If more than one of those locations gets a team, it would be a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.
3. A New Leading Scorer Will Be Crowned
Hilary Knight has a shot to repeat as the PWHL's leading scorer sitting around the point-per-game mark, but with more teams in the mix, more players are getting top-line minutes and the results are coming for some. Through the first quarter of the PWHL's schedule, a number of players who have traditionally been defined as "role players" are producing at rates that exceed that label.
Knight may in fact find her way toward the top again, but she'll need to contend with a group of her Torrent teammates. including Alex Carpenter, Julia Gosling, and Hannah Bilka, all of whom will be in the league's top 15 if they continue at their current pace.
Every year the PWHL is in existence, a new cohort of players will move closer to taking over from the players who ushered this league into existence. 2026 seems like a year where another step in that direction will occur.