It has now been a week since puck drop on a new era of women’s professional hockey. And to tell the truth, it’s been an exciting week.
On January 1st, 2024, the inaugural game for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) was played between Toronto and New York in front of a sellout crowd of 2,537. According to TSN, the game attracted viewership of 2.9 million across the CBC, Sportsnet, and TSN networks in Canada. Not to mention the other 137,000 views on YouTube in the United States and across the world. The very next day, Ottawa hosted Montreal and set a women’s hockey attendance record with a sellout crowd of 8,318 fans in the stands at TD Place Arena. Then, on January 6th, the record was shattered again. This time in “The State of Hockey” where Minnesota hosted Montreal in front of an Xcel Energy Center crowd of 13,316.
Why are we talking about this at Neutral Zone and what does any of this have to do with you as a youth player, a parent of a youth player, or even you as a coach of youth, high school, prep, or college players? Many reasons, but for starters, we know that this monumental leap forward will have a trickle down effect and raise the caliber of play around the world.
Let’s walk back in time, just a little, to begin. While women’s hockey in Canada dates back to the 1890s, it wasn’t until 1998 that Women’s Hockey was included in the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. It was in 1998 that we first heard of many names that would soon become synonymous with women’s hockey across the world. Names like Angela Ruggiero, Haley Wickenheiser, Cami Granato, Cassie Campbell, Jenny Potter, and Jennifer Botterill. Bringing special attention to the 32-year-old Canadian player, Danielle Goyette, who led the tournament with 8 goals and 1 assist in 9 games. And the 22-year-old American, Katie King who added 8 points in 6 games of her own.
In the 10 years after Nagano, where USA won the first Gold Medal in Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey, female hockey registrants in USA Hockey grew from 28,346 to more than 79,355. Hockey Canada female hockey registrants increased from 29,031 to 85,624 in that same time frame. The women mentioned above are the foundation for women’s hockey today and are directly responsible for that growth of the game in both countries.
Now, we jump ahead to 2014 and 2015, when the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) were established. Many of the 1998 Olympic legends competed in these two leagues, but the league also highlighted the next generation of household names, like Marie-Phillip Poulin and Hilary Knight. The CWHL ceased operations in 2019 and the NWHL rebranded into the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) but it too ceased operations in 2023 to make way for the new PWHL. During that time, female hockey participation in Canada grew to nearly 102,000 and in the USA to over 84,000 participants. Once again, we see the linear relationship between visibility and growth of the game.
Today we are looking at the newest opportunity for growth. While the previous leagues paved the way, the PWHL is the best on-ice product to date, showcasing most of the world’s best women’s hockey players. The PHWL has also established a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that pays the players a livable salary along with housing stipends, and other benefits. The PHF was previously developing a CBA before giving way to the new league. Now, the PWHL’s collective bargaining agreement states that players salaries will be between $35,000 – $80,000 per year and will increase annually by 3% for the duration of the eight year agreement. This league, a players union, and a strong CBA are speaking loudly in short term to the current NCAA and U Sports players who have a legitimate option to play professionally after graduation. Players like the current NCAA scoring leader and Colgate Senior – Kristýna Kaltounková (42 points) or Wisconsin Post Grad – Britta Curl (38 points). And even rising Sophomore stars like Penn State’s – Tessa Janecke and Wisconsin’s Kirsten Simms (whom we at Neutral Zone had reported on to great extents). Imagine if the top two All-Time NCAA Points Leaders Jennifer Boterill (340 points) and Jenny Potter (327 points) had this kind of opportunity coming out of college. How many young women would have had the chance to watch them play and realize a dream to play the game you love for a living?
In long term, we will begin to see that trickle-down effect on the large scale. Similar to those Winter Olympics in Nagano, the PWHL will have an lasting impact on young girls wanting to lace up the skates and carve their mark on the ice and on the game. The PWHL gives girls the opportunity to watch, attend, and idolize women’s hockey across the globe like we have never seen before. The visibility of this league gives millions of people the access to experience professional women’s hockey with consistency. As a result, it is safe to say that there will be an equally monumental impact on registration growth.
The current volume of talented players coming up through the ranks in women’s hockey is absolutely astounding. Trust us, we know, we scout them every week. We are in the rinks watching young women grow the game, make a name for themselves, and do things in hockey that have never been done before.
The keys for the PWHL to help and continue to grow women’s hockey have already been handed over. Some of that comes with rule changes. One of those rule changes is more allowance of contact. In the inaugural game, we saw just that. The game, all of a sudden, became more physical than ever before, not violent, but physical. The broadcasters, former and current players, and crowd all spoke very positively about the change. Many former players seemingly wished they had the opportunity to play this way, showing that the rule change was critical to grow the game in another aspect. We will continue to watch the pros change how the game is played and how women in hockey are perceived. Will the next rule change be that visors are allowed? Why not, let it be the players choice? How the game is being played and coached change the optics of the game? Will new and different strategies come into play as the players get better, faster, smarter? Will we again see the trickle down on how players are coached and trained at the youth levels? Absolutely! And that is great for the game.
We cannot wait to scout that and see how players continue to develop through a new landscape. We will continue to do our part in identifying the next generation of players. From those that have untapped potential to the diamonds in the rough from untraditional hockey markets. Some of those PWHL futures include Chloe Primerno, Ava Thomas, Abby Stonehouse, Hannah Clark, Layla Hemp, Maja Helge, Hilda Svensson, Ebba Hedqvist, and Emma Ekoluoma. This is an exciting time for Women’s Hockey, lets enjoy the ride!