The Professional Women’s Hockey League is on (another) early season break, this time for the holidays.
Before games kick off again on Friday, it felt like a good time to open up the first-ever PWHL mailbag. There were dozens of great questions, and while I couldn’t get to them all, now I know to do this again sometime!
Let’s get started.
Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for length.
Which rookie are you keeping your eye on after Sarah Fillier? — Daniel G.
Izzy Daniel.
She flew under the radar for someone who won the Patty Kazmaier Award last season as the top women’s college hockey player in the country and was a steal for Toronto in the third round of the draft.
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Scott Wheeler and I absolutely loved Daniel’s game when we were putting together our prospect ranking last season. She is a gifted playmaker and extremely intelligent. Sarah Nurse, who started the season on a line with Daniel, said her head is constantly on a swivel, reading plays and finding ways to get her teammates the puck in scoring positions. Daniel has two goals already to start her PWHL career, tied for second among rookies.
Even before the Takeover games were announced, I thought the league should play some out-of-market games that count in the season schedule. Does this look to be a long-term reality, with more market demand than they can field teams for? If so, would that make this Takeover aspect of the schedule a lasting, permanent feature? — Geoffrey B.
Great question, Geoffrey. I actually have some extra notes on this from a chat with PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten. He told me just last month that there was more interest from groups wanting to host neutral site games this year than the league could schedule, which tells me there is sustainable interest and outside market demand.
He also said the day is going to come (eventually) when the PWHL plays games internationally, either as friendlies in Europe or even regular-season games. Finally, Kasten said he could see the barnstorming games being part of the PWHL for a “very long time.”
“Neutral-site games are very cool for markets that maybe wouldn’t support a full season, at least not yet, to be able to experience what we’re doing locally,” he said. “And I hope we get to do a lot more of it in future years as well.”
Is there going to be something done about all the international breaks? It’s a bit ridiculous how often the season gets stopped for something most of the league isn’t participating in. — Dylan C.
It’s important to remember the international breaks are written in the collective bargaining agreement, not just a weird defect of the PWHL schedule. The International Participation section — which states: “The League shall permit any Player who qualifies to participate in the Olympics, IIHF World Championship, or other international tournaments/competitions” — was an important inclusion for players who didn’t want to miss out on national team opportunities while playing in the league.
That not many players went to the Six Nations made the break so early in the season pretty jarring, I will admit. Some PWHL players were on initial rosters, but ended up staying in North America, as is their right to decide to do so.
I don’t know if there’s an easy fix, given the breaks are CBA-mandated. Maybe the league could not implement a break for future Six Nations tournaments if it looks like they won’t be well-attended, but still allow individual players to go on leave. Then again, I don’t love the idea of going on break for the Canada-USA Rivalry Series and not doing the same for European players.
Not to mention, this will all look completely different next season with the Olympics in 2026.
A recent game against Ottawa drew noticeably low numbers at the Boston Fleet’s Tsongas Center. (Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
Do the Boston Fleet have any plans to move to a stadium closer to Boston, instead of playing in Lowell? — Anonymous
It’s probably too early to say if there are plans currently in the works, but Kasten has been consistent that league leadership will review and fix any issues or mistakes as they continue to build the PWHL.
I don’t want to pile on because a lot of people certainly have been after the Tuesday, Dec. 17 game got under 3,000 fans. Attendance at the Tsongas Center has otherwise been fine, with two games around 4,000 fans.
Still, it’s no question the Boston situation isn’t perfect. Everybody who has been there knows Boston traffic stinks. Personally, it took me almost two hours to get to the rink from the airport last year for Game 5 of the Finals. (For those who don’t know, Lowell is around 30 miles from Boston.)
The main alternative that comes to mind is Walter Brown Arena, where the Boston University women’s hockey team plays. It’s currently being renovated with a new locker room, student lounge and recovery areas and the project is expected to be done by January 2025, in time for the Beanpot.
It would be on the smaller side, with just under 4,000 seats, and scheduling could be tough with BU basketball playing at Walter Brown as well, but would certainly be a better location. Agganis Arena, the men’s hockey rink, could be a better option, or at the very least bigger with 6,300 seats. Though I’m not sure how realistic it is to share that facility, given the BU women’s team doesn’t even play there.
Matthews Arena, on the Northeastern campus, would not be a viable option at least right now, as the school is proposing a new multipurpose athletic facility where Matthews currently sits.
Would love an explainer on player movement (LTIR, calling up reserves, trades, trade deadline, etc.). Are you expecting more trades this year? Any trade predictions/speculation? — Gretchen L.
Players put on long-term injured reserve are out of the lineup for at least 21 days. Reserve players are signed to a different contract as full-time players. Per the CBA, reserve players get a stipend of no less than $15,000 and can be activated to a team’s roster on a short-term (10 day) contract or can be signed to a Standard Player Agreement. For example, Olivia Knowles started the season as a reserve in Toronto and — due to Ella Shelton going on LTIR — signed a standard contract with New York. She made her Sirens debut on Dec. 22.
This year’s trade deadline is set for March 2 at noon ET. As for how many trades, it depends on whether general managers will be able to trade draft picks. Last year we only saw two trades on deadline day — three trades total if we include the Sophie Jaques blockbuster early in the season — largely because GMs weren’t able to trade draft picks until the end of the 2024 season. That meant only player in, player out deals were permitted.
I’d watch for Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury to make a move to beef up the blue line, which has struggled to start the year. Ottawa was active last year, making two trades on deadline day, so I wonder if GM Mike Hirshfeld will be working the phones again.
Any vibe checks on the Minnesota locker room? — Devon F.
People I talked to before the season seemed ready to close the book on the whole saga after Natalie Darwitz’s departure from Minnesota only days after the team won the Walter Cup. And I think the team’s performance early in the season reflects that.
I’m not around the team full-time, but I did spend some time talking to players and coach Ken Klee when the team was in Toronto. From my vantage point, they seemed like a relaxed and positive group on and off the ice. In terms of a lingering impact, I don’t think a team in turmoil starts the season without a regulation loss.
The Minnesota Frost top the league despite offseason upheaval. (Rich Graessle / Getty Images)
What are your thoughts on the rules as they stand? Especially where they deviate from the more “traditional” rules. — Matt
I absolutely love the jailbreak rule and the 3-2-1 points system. I’m still not sold on the no escape rule, and we’re seeing some wonky penalty kills already this season. Toronto went from a 92 percent PK to 66 percent this season. Every team is playing by those rules, so there is no real excuse for Toronto. It just feels like a pretty big deviation after only one season of data around offense and power-play efficiency.
Will Chicago be on the short list for expansion? Or does the lack of ice sheets beyond the NHL and AHL ice rinks make it unlikely? — John N.
I hope it is, and I’m not just saying that because I had fun in Chicago this summer. It’s a big sports city with some strong girls youth hockey programs, and several notable home-grown players such as Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Cammi Granato, Kendall Coyne Schofield and University of Minneosta star Abbey Murphy.
As you mentioned, the venue will be the biggest hurdle for Chicago — but that’s not a unique issue.
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Which cities are top candidates for PWHL expansion as the young league grows?
I think the United Center is a non-starter because it’s too big and too busy. I don’t know if Wintrust Arena, where the WNBA’s Chicago Sky play, can facilitate a sheet of ice, although the size of that venue (around 10,000 seats) would be perfect.
Allstate Arena, home to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, seems like the best option, and it’s honestly not a bad one. It’s a big venue (18,500), but shouldn’t be as hard to schedule as the United Center.
It’s around 20 miles from the downtown core in Rosemont, Ill., where Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is located. I don’t think it would be as tough to get to compared to Lowell for Boston, especially with people living in neighborhoods outside of downtown, but correct me if I’m wrong!
Any rumors or thoughts about changes in broadcasting? Was disappointed to see recent games not on YouTube and hoping that doesn’t become the norm. — Carter W.
It’s my understanding that the league was just testing out a few alternative online streaming options, such as on their website or Twitch. I didn’t like the move, and neither did most fans. But it’s safe to assume the league did not like them either as games are back on YouTube — outside of Canada, of course.
I don’t love that Canadian fans can’t watch on YouTube this season. Even I couldn’t watch a game a few weeks ago without paying for another premium account (this time TSN+). It’s a hit to the visibility and accessibility of games, for sure. But the league is expected to make more money from an increase in rights fees, so the move should still help the league in the long term.
I’m going to the game in Denver in January between Montreal and Minnesota. It’ll be my first PWHL game and I’m wondering what or whom I should be most excited about seeing in person? — Julie K.
I love questions like this! First, you’re going to a game with a lot of star power. You should be excited about seeing Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin. She’s the best player in the world, the Team Canada captain who has scored three Olympic overtime goals in her career, and will (in my opinion) go down as the greatest of all time in women’s hockey.
Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin is a legend of women’s hockey. (Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
Laura Stacey also really pops in person — she shoots a lot and forces a lot of odd-man rushes.
There’s a lot of skill on Minnesota: Claire Thompson is an Olympic record holder and will be a doctor one day. Taylor Heise was the first-ever PWHL draft pick. Kendall Coyne Schofield is well known for her speed and is off to a great start this season. I personally love to watch Grace Zumwinkle for her combination of size and skill.
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And if you’re from Denver, you should know Nicole Hensley. She’s Minnesota’s starting goalie and she’s from Colorado, so this will be a nice homecoming game for her.
I’m curious how (or if) covering the PWHL is different from the NHL? Are you getting different levels of access to players, coaches, executives? Are there noticeable differences in how teams approach media engagement or marketing? — Stephan G.
As a hockey writer covering a brand new league, what has the process been like to adapt to covering the PWHL? — Simon G.
I always feel self-conscious talking about my job because who really cares how the sausage gets made? But there were a few questions like this, so maybe people do care!
It’s been really fun to dive into something new and make the coverage my own. I loved my time on NHL beats, but it’s been refreshing to tell unique and interesting stories about building a league from the ground up. That’s just not something that is happening in NHL coverage, obviously.
There’s also just so many stories to tell about the players, whether it’s Madison Bizal opening up about playing through a cancer diagnosis or how Thompson was managing medical school with hockey. I’d say the biggest difference between PWHL and NHL is that a lot of players are more appreciative of the coverage and more open with their stories. Not that NHLers were rude — again, I had a good experience on my beats — but the amount of times you get thanked just for being around a women’s hockey team really puts things into perspective.
In terms of the process, it’s been fine! I go to games and travel and speak to players, coaches and execs the same way I did in the NHL. I speak to league execs more in the PWHL than NHL, and I definitely would have never spoken to Billie Jean King before making the jump to women’s hockey full-time. That was the biggest “what the heck am I doing here” moment in my career.
(Top photo of Izzy Daniel: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
