PWHL — Professional Women's Hockey League

What is the PWHL?

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional women's ice hockey league with teams in the United States and Canada. Each season is a regular season followed by the Walter Cup playoffs, and the Walter Cup is the league's championship trophy.^[1][8] The league describes itself as featuring "the best women's players in the world".^[2]

Three Walter Cups have been awarded. PWHL Minnesota won the first in 2024, the Minnesota Frost won in 2024–25, and the Montréal Victoire won the 2026 Walter Cup, beating the Ottawa Charge 4–0 in Game 4 of the Final on 21 May 2026 to take the series 3–1.^[1][11]

Who organizes the PWHL?

The league runs its own competition; it is not a federation event. By the league's own account, "The foundational support that launched the PWHL, along with the league's continued funding to date, has been provided by Mark and Kimbra Walter." On 22 June 2026 it announced Kilmer Sports Ventures and Ilitch Companies as strategic partners, "becoming the first outside investors since the league was established in 2023"; the announcement gave no financial terms.^[6]

Sportico reported that the Walters own the league through the holding company TWG Global, that they founded it in 2023 after acquiring the Premier Hockey Federation's assets, and that it is structured as a single entity with all franchises centrally owned; that description rests on this one secondary source. Sportico also reported that Kilmer Sports Ventures was "injecting $100 million" into the league.^[7]

When is the season held, and where?

The season runs through the winter into the spring playoffs. The 2025–26 regular season opened on 21 November 2025 and closed on 25 April 2026, and the Final ended on 21 May 2026 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.^[9][11] The 2026–27 season has not started: the league has set training camps to open on 18 November 2026, with each of its 12 teams playing two preseason scrimmages between 22 and 30 November.^[10]

Rows are seasons. Season labels and champions as the league's Walter Cup page prints them; the pool column gives the Walter Cup winner and the last column the Final.^[1] The 2026 Final date and venue are from NHL.com.^[11]

Since when does it exist?

The league states that it was established in 2023 and launched on 1 January 2024.^[2][6] It played its first season in 2024, which ended with PWHL Minnesota as the first Walter Cup champions.^[1] Expansion has been dated by the league's own announcements: Vancouver on 23 April 2025 and Seattle on 30 April 2025, both for 2025–26, bringing the league to eight teams; Detroit on 6 May 2026; Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario on 13 May 2026; and San Jose on 19 May 2026, all four to debut in 2026–27.^{[13][5][2][3][4]}

How do teams qualify for the Walter Cup playoffs?

Teams reach the Walter Cup playoffs on regular-season points. The league's 2026 playoff guide states: "Playoff spots are awarded to the four teams that have accumulated the most points during the regular season." Points come from a 3-2-1-0 system: 3 for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime or shootout win, 1 for an overtime or shootout loss and none for a regulation loss. Under what the guide calls a rule unique to the PWHL, "the no. 1 seed gets to choose its semifinal opponent from the no. 3 and no. 4 seed teams", and "Each round is a best‑of‑five game series."^[8]

Players join through the draft and signings. For 2026 the league set a six-phase expansion player distribution process for the four new teams and a six-round draft in which "All 12 teams will participate", with the Vancouver Goldeneyes holding the first overall pick through the league's Gold Plan system.^[12]

Why does it matter?

The measurable markers are the league's growth and the records it cites. It grew to eight teams for 2025–26, when each team played 30 games and the league scheduled "a total of 120 games for the first time in league history", and it has announced four more teams for 2026–27.^[5][9][10] The league states that it "has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women's hockey game".^[2] In June 2026 it took its first outside investment.^[6]

Who competes?

For 2026–27 the league lists 12 teams: Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver, with Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose added as the 9th to 12th teams.^[10] The new teams play at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, TD Coliseum in Hamilton and SAP Center in San Jose.^[2][3][4] The Ottawa Charge reached the Walter Cup Final in 2024–25 and in 2025–26, losing both series 3–1.^[1]