2023-24 Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) News

[JMCx4]

And The Wave is rolling at Xcel with under 10 mins to go in regulation.

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[JMCx4]

This League is made for breaking records. Especially 5 games in.

 

[JMCx4]

With almost 4 minutes left, Montreal goes to 6 skaters. And Minnesota's Grace Zumwinkle gets her hatty ... another record!

 

[LadyStanley]

1st league/franchise hat trick after Montreal pulls goalie trying to break shut out

 

[JMCx4]

Final score = Minnesota 3 - Montreal 0. That ends Week #1 of the PWHL's Great Experiment.

BTW, classy move by Montreal to hold the puck in the closing seconds to let the lights shine on Minnesota in front of their large home crowd.

 

[ThatGuy22]

This League is made for breaking records. Especially 5 games in.

I believe it's the record for a pro women's hockey game, previously held by the Swedish league at like 8k.

 

[LadyStanley]

Paywall (I think)

 

[JMCx4]

Paywall (I think)

You think right. My speed reading training could not overcome it.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Are they gonna have Drafts?
like in the NHL

 

[JMCx4]

Are they gonna have Drafts?
like in the NHL

The PWHL inaugural draft was held on September 18, 2023. The draft for next season, IIRC, is expected to occur in May 2024. Details pending.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Are they gonna have Drafts?
like in the NHL

They will have drafts. What they look like is anyone's guess. A huge problem of the CWHL, PHF, any league that's not paying it's players a decent living salary is players tend to stick to their home location. This means that certain teams become stronger than others which is how you end up with the Worcester Blades of the CWHL or the Buffalo Beauts of the PHF. The Inaugural Draft was created to ensure talent was evenly spread around the league as long as GM's weren't idiots. There will definitely be a draft for players coming out of the NCAA/USports but how do you handle the players coming from European leagues or maybe took the year off? Is Klara Peslarova going to have to go through the draft? She's a top 2 goalie in the sport and is 27yo, would feel kind of weird at this point.

 

[JMCx4]

... There will definitely be a draft for players coming out of the NCAA/USports but how do you handle the players coming from European leagues or maybe took the year off? Is Klara Peslarova going to have to go through the draft? She's a top 2 goalie in the sport and is 27yo, would feel kind of weird at this point.

The League had what they called an initial free agency period before their inaugural draft. I reckon they'd repeat that to capture players such as Peslarova.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

The League had what they called an initial free agency period before their inaugural draft. I reckon they'd repeat that to capture players such as Peslarova.

I wouldn't take a whole lot of stock in whatever they did at the start of all this. The free agency period was to give teams a chance to do some early marketing and generate hype. Also helped to ensure MPP didn't have to get picked by like Minnesota and she could be in Montreal where she belongs. There's going to be a free agency period of some sort but when it takes place and what rules are around it is anyone's guess. I'd bet they don't even know for sure what they're doing.

 

[FrHockeyFan]

Today's game has been postpone due to the weather.

 

[JMCx4]

Postponement of a hockey game due to winter weather always seems so wrong. But it's another FIRST for the PWHL!

 

[LadyStanley]

First SOTW

 

[JMCx4]

First SOTW

Curious that they don't identify each Star player's team. Must be part of the PWHL marketing strategy ... All For One, and One For All. Or was that The Three Musketeers?

 

[uncleben]

Curious that they don't identify each Star player's team. Must be part of the PWHL marketing strategy ... All For One, and One For All. Or was that The Three Musketeers?

They're there... just really tiny, each using the same PWHL logo with their city name underneath lol
Just below the stat line

 

[JMCx4]

They're there... just really tiny, each using the same PWHL logo with their city name underneath lol
Just below the stat line

Thanks for pointing that out. Even those labels are another indicator of how the League is downplaying team affiliations while pushing the League brand. Interesting strategy.

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[JMCx4]

Week #1 bullet points, and a Week #2 look-aheads ... PWHL THIS WEEK: January 8, 2024

 

[JMCx4]

First overlapping games for The P. Should keep the Followers Watch crowd busy ... Toronto battles Minnesota, Montreal takes on New York in PWHL action on TSN

 

[GindyDraws]

So, things so far are fine, but I'm curious to see how they can maintain the momentum in the second season. At least attendance is good, plus this is the most attention this part of the forum has gotten in a while.

 

[JMCx4]

So, things so far are fine, but I'm curious to see how they can maintain the momentum in the second season. At least attendance is good, plus this is the most attention this part of the forum has gotten in a while.

Shiny new puck. And now without The Manchester Thread to demand attention, this is where everyone will come to rumble.