2025-26 PWHL season

[Still Eeyore]

How is it ruining it?

Because no-check rules force you to play defense in ways that are more interesting to watch.

 

[BowWowWow]

PWHL game at Madison Square Garden sets U.S. women’s hockey attendance record

A sold-out crowd of 18,006 fans watched the New York Sirens take on the Seattle Torrent in the league’s debut at MSG.

www.nytimes.com

Yes, this was an excellent article, thanks for sharing it -- and having this sell-out game at MSG is an excellent development for the Sirens! I was there and greatly enjoyed the atmosphere....

There was a loud cheer for Hilary Knight as her name was called early in the Seattle introductions. It's a good thing that New York pulled out the win in the end. I think the home ice definitely helped push the final shootout in the Sirens' favor. Kayle Osborne whipped around and saved the first shot in the shootout while the puck slid on the line to her left: a game of inches.

 

[ARM]

If physical play and lack of player safety is ruining the PWHL in the collective mind of the players, then it is up to the PWHL Players Association to speak up. Our editorial opinions aren't going to change anything.

 

[BowWowWow]

If physical play and lack of player safety is ruining the PWHL in the collective mind of the players, then it is up to the PWHL Players Association to speak up. Our editorial opinions aren't going to change anything.

It seems in articles or interviews that the players say that they want to have checking, but they also allude to inconsistent officiating.

In some ways the issue may be similar to questions about what is "illegal bodychecking" in the college women's game. There are evidently more things the PWHL referees would consider "legal bodychecking" in the league by their rulebook. The league has had bodychecking clinics within the teams and more generally in the league from certain professional/recently retired men players who have worked on this; so, it is not from a total lack of awareness or experience, anyway, on the players' part.

Of course, I'm unsure what the PWHLPA would say, but yes, it seems like a topic that must be on their mind.

 

[BowWowWow]

2 games left in the season for all teams, as of this afternoon...
Montréal, Boston, and Minnesota have clinched playoff spots, while Ottawa, Toronto, and NY are competing for the last one.
The two expansion teams Vancouver and Seattle are eliminated from playoff contention. Seattle has 1 point toward the Gold Plan, though - all points accumulated after a team is eliminated from a playoff spot go to this, for getting the first overall draft pick.
Word from the league is still that it could expand by 2, 3, or 4 teams for next season. Some articles in The Hockey News and The Ice Garden have made the point that there's not much of a runway for an expansion team to bring their personnel together, especially because of the short training camp time, falling after late-summer national team training (at least this past season). The Athletic also recently looked at why this season's expansion teams have finished so low -- suggesting possible issues with coaching (of course, it was the coaches' first year with the league as well as the players' first year with their new teams), along with tiring travel from the West coast.

 

[Timothy A]

So when expansion comes, If I understand correctly, the teams can only protect 3 players? That seems really low to me. I know you want to spread the talent around, but you are potentially uprooting lots of players from teams, which I think is not a fan friendly move. I don't think lots of favorite player movement is a good thing.

 

[wildfire]

So when expansion comes, If I understand correctly, the teams can only protect 3 players? That seems really low to me. I know you want to spread the talent around, but you are potentially uprooting lots of players from teams, which I think is not a fan friendly move. I don't think lots of favorite player movement is a good thing.

6. It's different than last expansion.

Longer Contracts, Free Agents Aren't Safe, More Protections: Highlights Of The PWHL's Proposed Expansion Process

The 2026 PWHL expansion process will consist of five phases. It features longer contracts, free agents being available to expansion teams, more protections for contracted players, and much more. Here are the highlights.

thehockeynews.com

 

[davearm]

It seems in articles or interviews that the players say that they want to have checking, but they also allude to inconsistent officiating.

In some ways the issue may be similar to questions about what is "illegal bodychecking" in the college women's game. There are evidently more things the PWHL referees would consider "legal bodychecking" in the league by their rulebook. The league has had bodychecking clinics within the teams and more generally in the league from certain professional/recently retired men players who have worked on this; so, it is not from a total lack of awareness or experience, anyway, on the players' part.

Of course, I'm unsure what the PWHLPA would say, but yes, it seems like a topic that must be on their mind.

Sorry to be so late to the conversation, but thought I'd share a quick story.

During that first season of the PWHL, I was chatting with a reffing buddy who worked some of those games (including the championship round). This guy also skates ECHL and AHL games. Anyway, one PWHL game, they had what he described as a pretty violent (and blatant) boarding play. He said it would have warranted a major penalty in any of the pro men's leagues he works. He had women from both teams express to him that they don't want to have that play penalized. Not even a minor.

So that was back when the league was just getting going, and working out issues with the penalty standard. The women playing that day wanted a very loose standard for body checking.

 

[Timothy A]

6. It's different than last expansion.

Longer Contracts, Free Agents Aren't Safe, More Protections: Highlights Of The PWHL's Proposed Expansion Process

The 2026 PWHL expansion process will consist of five phases. It features longer contracts, free agents being available to expansion teams, more protections for contracted players, and much more. Here are the highlights.

thehockeynews.com

Phase 1 you protect 3 players. Phase 2 your 4th 5th and 6th best get scooped up. Phase 3 you protect 3 more players, your next best 3 players. You lose 1 more. You can lose a max of 4 players. I guess losing 4 players max isn't a deal breaker. How do the expansion teams fit into the draft? TBD, like the number of new teams?

 

[BowWowWow]

PWHL Detroit is the newest team for 2026-27 as of this morning's announcement! They will play at Little Caesars Arena. Their primary colors are black and silver, with white as a secondary color and red as an accent, per the press release - more branding probably to be released in the fall, per news articles.

Detroit is also going to host the PWHL 2025-26 Awards on June 16 and the 2026 PWHL Draft on June 17.