Top 10 Stories From The Inaugural PWHL Season

The Hockey News counts down the top 10 stories from across the PWHL during season one that had fans, players, and media talking.

The first PWHL season is in the books. Here's a look at the Top 10 stories that drove interest and excitement across the league during the inaugural season. It was fun while it lasted, and fans are already looking toward season two.

It was historic. A special moment to cap off the inaugural season. PWHL Minnesota beat Boston 3-0 in the game 5 final of the playoffs, securing a 3-2 series win. Taylor Heise won the playoff MVP honor tying for the postseason lead in points with teammate Michela Cava who scored four goals in the five game finals. They took the win in front of a sold out crowd at the Tsongas Center in Boston, and the crowd celebrated the win for women's hockey following Minnesota's victory.

From Ottawa's January 2 crowd of 8,318, which broke the previous world record for attendance at a professional women's hockey game, it was all bigger and better from there. Four days later Minnesota broke that record drawing 13,316. In February Toronto smashed that record drawing 19,285. Then Detroit stole Minnesota's American record drawing 13,736 for a neutral site game, then it was Montreal breaking them all with 21,105 in April. It was an incredible year for attendance in the PWHL, and the only way to get bigger from here is to find space at an outdoor game. Stayed tuned on that one.

Game in and game out, Natalie Spooner proved herself to be the most dangerous forward in the league who could single handedly change the fate of a game. She scored in abundance for Toronto leading them to a remarkable 11 game winning streak. In the end, Spooner hit the 20 goal mark on the final night of the season, the equivalent of a 68 goal season across an 82 game year. She was exceptional at every point in the league, and her loss to injury in the opening round of playoffs changed Toronto's fate.

First of all, no league in history has forced media and fans to write or say the league name more in year one by forgoing team names. It was a positive, yet unexpected side effect that paid dividends for the PWHL's brand. Fans went from anger and annoyance at not having names and logos, to disgust and rage when a batch of potential names leaked, to ambivalent as the season progressed. One thing has remained throughout the season, the debate among fans, excitement to read or hear any update on potential jerseys. Fans want more merchandise, and branded apparel unique to each team will be tough to come by whenever it's released as the demand will certainly overshadow supply. According to the PWHL, names and logos are nearly complete and will be announced in August.

Somehow the PWHL managed to change the rules of the game without angering traditionalists. It was certainly an achievement in a hockey landscape where any minor change has sparked vitriol in the past. Perhaps it was the PWHL's interest in keeping the on ice play, what happens from whistle to whistle, untouched. Instead they brought in the "jailbreak" rule, they introduced the Gold Plan, three point structure for wins, a Pick Your Own Opponent playoff model, and they also re-introduced bodychecking to women's hockey, which was removed in North America following the 1990 World Championships. It was also minor items like purple arm bands on referees, or the fact they were a major sports league to stream all games for free on YouTube that made the league unique, accessible, and exciting.

Taylor Heise became the first ever draft pick in PWHL history when Minnesota stepped to the podium and chose the American and University of Minnesota star. She was one of the most dynamic and exciting players to watch all season, and her star power was on display on and off the ice. Heise was also one of 36 players in the league to sign a three-year guaranteed contract. 18 of those players signed before the draft, while the remainder signed in the weeks following the PWHL Draft. As the season progressed, interest grew rapidly in not only who would pick first, but who would be picked first. The 2024 Draft is loaded with talent including Sarah Fillier, Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes, Danielle Serdachny, Daniela Pejsova, Julia Gosling, Claire Thompson, Noora Tulus, Ronja Savolainen, Maja Nylen Persson, Amanda Kessel, and Izzy Daniel.

Few saw a big trade coming like the one that landed in the early months of the PWHL with Boston sending Sophie Jaques to Minnesota in exchange for Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook. As the season progressed, the trade turned into a rare win for both teams. Tapani would become a big time scorer for Boston, including two overtime winners in the opening round of playoffs, while Jaques would find her stride playing top pair minutes for Minnesota. Oddly enough, it was Minnesota and Boston who ended up facing each other in the PWHL finals.

Venues were a topic of conversation all season. Some were too small, like Mattamy in Toronto and Verdun Auditorium for Montreal. Others like TD Place Arena in Ottawa were perfect for their team. Then there were the two venues that technically sat outside their markets in Lowell, MA for Boston, and Bridgeport, Connecticut for New York. As the season progressed, the lack of continuity for New York, who ended up playing home games in three arenas in three different states, and who practiced at a fourth facility, became noticeable. Not only did the team struggle on the ice, which in part could be due to a lack of consistency and constantly being on the road even for home games, but they more noticeably struggled at the gate. Whether it was UBS Arena on Long Island, the Prudential Center in New Jersey, or Bridgeport's Total Mortgage Arena, there were concerns. The constant bouncing didn't allow for a fan base to develop as it did elsewhere, and the league will have catching up to do in New York next season. Bridgeport should and likely has already been abandoned permanently, as it turned out to be an empty cavern void of fans, while Jersey's Prudential Center showed the most promise. Finding a season long solution is a must for New York to grow.

No single moment on the ice saw the drama and excitement of game four in the PWHL finals between Boston and Minnesota. Late in double overtime, it looked like Sophie Jaques had ended the series for Minnesota against her former team. Minnesota rushed the ice throwing gloves, helmets, and sticks in every direction. While they celebrated however, the referees continued to work eventually calling the goal back for goalie interference. The 13,104 in attendance at the Xcel Energy Center loudly protested what ultimately was the correct call, but it was what happened next that really changed the outcome. After collecting their equipment, Minnesota lined back up against Boston to finish the second overtime, but only 1:10 later, Alina Muller fired a shot from the high slot beating Nicole Hensley giving Boston the win to force game five. It was a 1:10 stretch in playoff hockey that few will forget.

Things are about to change. This season the PWHL featured players from a dozen nations. That number will balloon next year with not only more players from Czechia, Finland, and Sweden entering the draft, but also players from nations not previously represented like Norway, Russia, Netherlands, Slovakia, Ukraine, Denmark, and Italy declaring. It's likely only a few of these nations will see their players selected or signed, but the number of international players overall will grow significantly. This year the Rivalry Series and international breaks were a consideration, as was the month long break for the World Championships which certainly changed the fates of multiple teams. Next season the Rivalry Series will be shortened, Division 1A and top tier World tournaments will be synchronized, and more deals will be put in place for the movement of players from Europe to North America and vice versa. The statement has already been made as well that year long centralization will not take place for the 2026 Olympics. Players will remain with the PWHL before a shorter stoppage for the Olympics. The world of women's hockey is changing directions, and it appears the game is now following the PWHL.