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PHF Purchased, Teams to Be Folded Into New PWHPA League

On the salary transparency issue, journalist Melissa Burgess tweeted on Sept. 5, "I've confirmed that #PWHL players *will* have access to information regarding salary terms via an internal database. So while that info isn't being publicly disclosed, it is available to the players themselves - an important tool in negotiating contracts."

She quotes Liz Knox who says, "We didn’t feel we could confidently decide for an unknown player pool if we should disclose. It will need to be revisited once all SPAs (standard player agreements) are signed if the players want to go public or keep it to the players."

Yes, it's true, the league minimum salary in the PHF was going to be $30k for 2023-24 (for 20 of between 22 and 25 players per team, per this previous signing tracker; the PHF minimum for the other players was going to be $13.5k for this year).
 
top cheese said:
The top PWHLPA player that drove this mess made sure they got taken care of, and the masses are scrambling. Instead of a celebration, this should be an embarrassment from where the PHF was headed
Click to expand...
Well, there are definitely a lot of players up in the air.

To elaborate on that somewhat, here is a tracker of where former PHF players ended up - or are trying out:
Former PHF Player Signings 2023-2024 at The Victory Press by Melissa Burgess

There is the issue of how many PHF former players are looking to play. PHF teams announced ~122 players signed. On eliteprospects.com, I counted ~74 players who played in the 2022-23 PHF who hadn't been announced as signed for 2023-24. (Some of those, nevertheless, had signed or were reportedly about to. Also, there were college players who've since been drafted in the PWHL whose PHF signings were never announced.)

On Burgess' Victory Press list, 100 players are accounted for in leagues. Of these, about 33 are camp invites - rather than being draftees or among the 3 signed free agents. One player on the list - 101 players total are there - is mentioned as retired, Jonna Albers. So that is from 196 or so (122 + 74) down to 100 currently.

Figures are similar for players from the 2022-23 PWHPA. Of 97 players with the PWHPA at the end of 2022-23, ~66 are attending training camps for PWHL teams in mid-November (per The Rink Live PWHL Tryout Camp Rosters). 20 of the players attending camps are camp invites, rather than already being signed or drafted.

So there is uncertainty! At the same time, there's probably more possibility than before, in some ways. Some players are on teams in Europe. Compared to last year, I think more players total will be able to work full-time as hockey players (including former PWHPA non-national-team players), with the CBA in place. It does seem hard to say whether the PHF could have operated as planned for 2023-24 given that the sale was in the works. So it's tough to compare figures for that potential season to now. For sure, if there were 12 teams for example, there would be much more to celebrate!
 
Three more signings of drafted players, all forwards, were announced:
- Kristin O'Neill, Montreal on a 3-year contract
- Alina Muller, Boston on a 3-year contract
- Gabbie Hughes, Ottawa on a 3-year contract
 
I see that Boston has finished signing six players to three year deals (which I believe is the requirement). Where does this leave girls coming out of college next year or the year after. These original six players will still be tied up. Does that mean any new player only has the option of a one year deal? Seems as though it might be hard to attract the best of the best coming out of college if the high end salaries are already spoken for.
 
I'm unsure; that's a good point about whether there's room for players coming up the next couple years. Teams may be cautious with the number of two- and three-year deals they sign this season and so leave spots free.

The salary minimum and required average go up by 3% each year - being outpaced by inflation. Meanwhile the required 6 or more three-year deals, for $80k or more each year, stay. I believe there is no limit to the number of years a deal can cover (update: there is a limit, a three-year maximum per The Ice Garden) - or to the number of multi-year deals. They just have been three or fewer years so far.

Worlds mvp Sarah Fillier comes with so much expectation of going in the 1st round next draft, and players in other leagues currently are touted too, like Finnish player Noora Tulus.
 
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A couple further, useful resources on the draft and signings:
"A full list of every pick from the 2023 PWHL Draft," Daily Faceoff - includes where each player played last season with last season's stats
"The Rink Live's PWHL signing tracker" - brings the signings together and includes the length of each contract

To tedlasso's point, will there be only 6 three-year contracts per team? In that case, each of those contracts will be at or above $80k/year, as the CBA requires that each team have at least 6 contracts meeting both those conditions.* Teams may well sign more than 6 players to three-year contracts, though. The average salary will need to stay at $55k and then, the next year, $55k + 3%, etc.**

The salary structure requires some exploring and does bring up questions for comparable players who will graduate or become free agents in Europe or Asia, too, in the next two seasons.

*CBA p. 10: "During the initial League Year only (anticipated to be 2023-24), the League will sign no fewer than six (6) Players on each Team to three-year SPAs of no less than $80,000 per League Year. These requirements shall not apply to SPA signings in subsequent years of this Agreement."
**CBA p. 11: "The average annual base Salary shall be increased in the 2024-25 League Year, and in every subsequent year of this Agreement, by three percent (3.0%).... In all years of this Agreement, the average annual base Salary shall be maintained on a League-wide basis."
 
Well...at least we can say they are getting acknowledgment in the media, on socials and being talked amongst some hockey people...for their complete lack of effort into marketing, terrible planning, engagement and what appears to be a a bit of a disaster. No schedules, no names, practice jerseys unveiled with mediocre pictures and awful jerseys, random rinks, random practice rinks, all 2 months before they are supposed to start. After all that has occurred, just feels tough to see, no? Was supposed to be a step in the right direction (and still hope it is) but the consensus among everyone right now is more so WTF is happening
 
harrow18 said:
Well...at least we can say they are getting acknowledgment in the media, on socials and being talked amongst some hockey people...for their complete lack of effort into marketing, terrible planning, engagement and what appears to be a a bit of a disaster. No schedules, no names, practice jerseys unveiled with mediocre pictures and awful jerseys, random rinks, random practice rinks, all 2 months before they are supposed to start. After all that has occurred, just feels tough to see, no? Was supposed to be a step in the right direction (and still hope it is) but the consensus among everyone right now is more so *** is happening
Click to expand...

You should check out the Victory Press writeup by Zoe Hayden. It is titled "Opinion: If the PWHL jerseys can sink the league, we have bigger problems". Yes, I was underwhelmed by the jerseys. But Zoe gives a good accounting of the tribulations the league has endured to get to this point. Read it and then come back with any new comments.
Also, any of you reading this post should be subscribed to the Victory Press. There is so little media attention paid to women's hockey that sites dedicated to it should be supported.
 
slapshot willy said:
It would be nice to see an updated ‘live tracking signing’ post on PWHL site, the last one was Oct 28
Click to expand...

Speaking of the Victory Press, they have a good signing tracker on there as well. The information is from thepwhl.com, and Victory Press puts it all on one page (it is findable on the "More" tab). The PWHL has been updating their different roster pages; they simply have the original date Oct. 28.

The teams probably are giving out the league-minimum 6 three-year contracts per team.
 
My mistake, yes the original PWHL website signing tracker article is dated Oct 28. Some teams either haven’t updated their signing tracker or haven’t signed new players ie last signing for Ottawa was Nov 9, Boston Nov 10, Toronto Nov 15.
 
The PWHL announced home openers and home venues:
NYC at TOR, Mon Jan 1 - Mattamy (12:30PM ET)
MTL at OTT, Tue Jan 2 - TD Place (7PM ET)
MIN at BOS, Wed Jan 3 - Tsongas (7PM ET)
TOR at NYC, Fri Jan 5 - Total Mortgage (7PM ET)
MTL at MIN, Sat Jan 6 - Xcel Energy (2:30PM CT)
BOS at MTL, Sat Jan 13 - Verdun (3:30PM ET)
 
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