Important PWHL Dates

August 29^th, 2023, ushered in a new era for women’s hockey in North America when Stan Kosten, Jayna Hefford, and Brian Burke met with the media to lay out the framework for the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Set to kick off in January 2024, the PWHL will have their very own original six teams located in Boston, New York, Minnesota, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

Below are key dates and events leading up to the 2023-24 season.

Free Agency
September 1^st – 10^th, 2023

The first PWHL free agency period kicked off on September 1^st with PWHL Ottawa’s General Manager Michael Hirshfeld signing goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and forwards Emily Clark and Brianne Jenner to three-year deals for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 seasons. As confirmed by Melissa Burgess of Victory Press, salary terms will not be disclosed to the public but there will be an internal database PWHL players will have access to.

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. https://t.co/4QArYAXTKH

— Melissa Burgess (@_MelissaBurgess) September 5, 2023

Boston, New York, Minnesota, Toronto, and Montreal are all rumored to be announcing their signings over the next few days.

During the free agency period, each team can sign three players to Standard Player Agreements. So, once free agency comes to a closer, there will be 18 less players in the draft.

At this time, current or graduating players from NCAA or U SPORTS programs are not eligible for free agency.

Draft Declaration
September 3^rd, 2023

Players who are interested in competing in the 2023-24 season needed to declare for the draft by September 3^rd. Anyone with remaining collegiate eligibility were permitted to declare for the draft. However, they need to consult with their campus compliance officers first.

Draft
September 18^th, 2023

The inaugural PWHL draft will take place in Toronto, Canada on September 18^th, 2023. It will consist of 15 rounds and follow a ‘snake format’. For those who have never played fantasy hockey, once the first round is completed, the following rounds will be conducted with teams selecting in the reverse order of the previous round.

On September 1^st, the PWHL held a lottery via a computerized list randomizer during a video conference call with all six GMs to determine the order of the draft.

Luck was on Minnesota’s side as they were awarded the first overall pick. Then Toronto, Boston, New York, Ottawa, and Montreal.

For those of you who love hearing “We have a trade to announce” at drafts, I regret to inform you this will not happen this season. No draft picks are allowed to be traded until the completion of the 2023-24 season.

Below is the draft order for all 15 rounds :

Round 1:
1. Minnesota, 2. Toronto, 3. Boston, 4. New York, 5. Ottawa, 6. Montreal.

Round 2:
7. Montreal, 8. Ottawa, 9. New York, 10. Boston, 11. Toronto, 12. Minnesota.

Round 3:
13. Minnesota, 14. Toronto, 15. Boston, 16. New York, 17. Ottawa, 18. Montreal.

Round 4:
19. Montreal, 20. Ottawa, 21. New York, 22. Boston, 23. Toronto, 24. Minnesota.

Round 5:
25. Minnesota, 26. Toronto, 27. Boston, 28. New York, 29. Ottawa, 30. Montreal.

Round 6:
31. Montreal, 32. Ottawa, 33. New York, 34. Boston, 35. Toronto, 36. Minnesota.

Round 7:
37. Minnesota, 38. Toronto, 39. Boston, 40. New York, 41. Ottawa, 42. Montreal.

Round 8:
43. Montreal, 44. Ottawa, 45. New York, 46. Boston, 47. Toronto, 48. Minnesota.

Round 9:
49. Minnesota, 50. Toronto, 51. Boston, 52. New York, 53. Ottawa, 54. Montreal.

Round 10:
55. Montreal, 56. Ottawa, 57. New York, 58. Boston, 59. Toronto, 60. Minnesota.

Round 11:
61. Minnesota, 62. Toronto, 63. Boston, 64. New York, 65. Ottawa, 66. Montreal.

Round 12:
67. Montreal, 68. Ottawa, 69. New York, 70. Boston, 71. Toronto, 72. Minnesota.

Round 13:
73. Minnesota, 74. Toronto, 75. Boston, 76. New York, 77. Ottawa, 78. Montreal.

Round 14:
79. Montreal, 80. Ottawa, 81. New York, 82. Boston, 83. Toronto, 84. Minnesota.

Round 15:
85. Minnesota, 86. Toronto, 87. Boston, 88. New York, 89. Ottawa, 90. Montreal.

For two years, selected players may go unsigned before becoming eligible to enter the draft again. No player can declare for more than two drafts.

Any player not drafted will become a free agent and can negotiate a tryout or a contract in any market they choose. “So, just because a player doesn’t get drafted, does not mean they won’t be part of the league, “ said Jayna Hefford, SVP, Hockey Operations of the PWHL. “They will have some ownership over where they get to try out.”

Schedule Announcement
October 2023

The hope is to have the schedule announced in October 2023.

Training Camp
November 13, 2023

Training camps are set to start the week of November 13^th, 2023. A minimum of 28 players have to attend training camp. “Each team will need to secure at least 10 players after the draft to come to their market,” said Hefford. “So, there’s a number of these spots that will be available coming out of the draft for players that aren’t drafted.”

No more than 20 Standard Player Agreements per team are permitted to be executed in advance of the 2023-24 training camps.

First PWHL Season Starts
January 2024

The inaugural PWHL season is set to kick off in January 2024 with 24 games – 12 home and 12 away. In subsequent years, the season will be 32 games long and begin in November.

According to section 15.1 of the CBA, “each Team shall have twenty-three (23) players on its Roster (Active Roster). The Active Roster shall be maintained throughout the League Season.” There are a few things teams need to keep in mind while creating their rosters. Six players on each team will be signed to three-year SPAS of no less than $80,000 per league year. Also, up to five players on each team will be signed to two-year SPAs.

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