Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) News

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Could it be that adding players on a compressed schedule (which somehow seems long & drawn out from where the fans sit) while dealing with visa issues is dictating the free agent signing patterns? Plus there's the matter of this process (among many others) being new to the GMs & team/league staffs. The learning curve is mighty steep.

I think there's a few factors at play. The first being this is free agency so players decide where they want to play and naturally they want to play in their established homes. They didn't grow with the league like a NHL player but are instead already established. The Ontario players want to play in Ontario, the Quebec players in Quebec, etc, etc.

Second factor is national team players are safe free agents. The ones picked have proven themselves on the international stage to be good to great players. Unfortunately there's only so many spots on national teams especially top 6/top 4 spots so only so many proven national team players are available. Like you said with a lack of staff might as well just take the players everyone knows are good. Every PWHL team just essentially made the safest, most neutral opening chess move. They were more worried about starting behind than getting ahead of the competition.

Third factor: National team players have marketability. Hilary Knight is a 34yo winger who is starting to show her age. She got signed to a 3-year deal because her name is Hilary Knight. Sarah Nurse is probably the most marketable national team player out there. Doesn't shy away from the spotlight while also being great on the ice. She's a winger though and it's not like she's the best winger or close to it in women's hockey history.

Fourth factor: These are still hockey GM's and they come with the same old school/conservative outlooks any other GM does. Sauvageau has been in the game since the early 2000's. Kingsbury is naturally going to lean towards the players she's been picking as Team Canada GM for the last half decade. She already got her coach back in Troy Ryan. All of these GM's are people who have been in hockey for a long time and it shows.

Personally I don't think visa's are an issue. This is being run by the group that owns the LA Dodgers and the league doesn't start training camps till November/December. To be fair I don't think there's any international free agent talent available that would have been good enough for one of these first three contracts anyways so they all get a pass there.

 

[red devil]

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[LadyStanley]

Step right up and place yer bets on which player ends up where

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[red devil]

 

[FrHockeyFan]

For international viewers, the stream is available on Youtube

Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Inaugural Draft | CBC Sports

Watch 90 of the best women’s hockey players in the world be selected in the inaugural draft of the Professional Women's Hockey League live from the Barbara F...

youtube.com

 

[FrozenPonds]

This is all about power, politics and control! It has been that way since 2007! When decisions were made that went against Nat team players, there was pushback and lots of it!

There will not be 20000 seat arenas filled!! There will not be 5000 seat arenas filled!! They might even have trouble filling a 2500 seat arena!

This was a play by this new group to come in, build something, not sustainable but build something that will hopefully survive to hopefully see some NHL dollars! Then this BJK group will cash out!

 

[Scouter]

Great day for women's hockey with plenty of history being made, Montreal looks to have a nice team indeed, I like them to take the Cup in season 1, where other teams, namely Minnesota, stayed local in their picks, which might not be the best route, I guess they are hoping for some local chemistry.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Great day for women's hockey with plenty of history being made, Montreal looks to have a nice team indeed, I like them to take the Cup in season 1, where other teams, namely Minnesota, stayed local in their picks, which might not be the best route, I guess they are hoping for some local chemistry.

The PWHL draft was the ultimate hockey nerds dream. Getting to build your team from scratch from a player pool overfilled with talent? You never had to worry about the talent running out so you could just choose how you wanted your team to look. I think Montreal and New York drafted the strongest. Boston started out strong and did fine the rest of they way. Same with Ottawa though Ottawa might look super smart depending on how Watts/Veillette look. Toronto/Minnesota I see what they're doing but feels like a big gamble on both their parts.

 

[Scouter]

Nice to see Czechia are the 3rd nation these days, it feels like Sweden have slipped, I thought we might even see a Japanese player, but we did get a Chinese-Canadian.

 

[caymanmew]

I am surprised Jocelyne Larocque was picked 2nd overall. Good player no doubt but at 35 she is past her prime. They already had a top defenseman and could have really done themselves good picking Alina Muller to give them a true star forward.

I'm an Ottawa fan though so I'm fine with Toronto doing what I view as a bad draft strategy.

 

[LadyStanley]

Nice ro see THN with dedicated website section and twitter handle for the ladies

 

[Sanf]

The PWHL draft was the ultimate hockey nerds dream. Getting to build your team from scratch from a player pool overfilled with talent? You never had to worry about the talent running out so you could just choose how you wanted your team to look. I think Montreal and New York drafted the strongest. Boston started out strong and did fine the rest of they way. Same with Ottawa though Ottawa might look super smart depending on how Watts/Veillette look. Toronto/Minnesota I see what they're doing but feels like a big gamble on both their parts.

Yeah I agree with this 100%. From the free agent selections onwards I have liked what New York has done. The feeling that they have tried to buld the best possible and most functional team regardles of anything (Well I guess their "market" does not have that many ties to players).

Though maybe they could have waited goalie pick for few rounds. Even with the weird circumstances that someone would have picked their other/backup goalie high there still would have been very good starting goalie available.

 

[Sanf]

Nice to see Czechia are the 3rd nation these days, it feels like Sweden have slipped, I thought we might even see a Japanese player, but we did get a Chinese-Canadian.

Even though this draft isn´t perfect measure stick for the team strengths I do agree that Czexhia is now probably 3rd in world. It is sad to see how Finland did not manage to get any kind of boost of the "almost world championship". Almost straight after that the whole focus went to inner conflicts. And the player production hasn´t been that impressive either.

In this draft Tapani went surprisingly/risky high. Don´t know how much their Finnish assistant coach was selling that.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

For aspiring girls/ladies/women I hope there is Expansion out West in say Calgary/Edmonton/Seattle/LA and a couple other hockey hotbeds! Got to think the Russian women would like to come over and play and get paid a decent/pretty good Salary

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

Great day for women's hockey with plenty of history being made, Montreal looks to have a nice team indeed, I like them to take the Cup in season 1, where other teams, namely Minnesota, stayed local in their picks, which might not be the best route, I guess they are hoping for some local chemistry.

Staying Local plays to the Audience and Attraction...its kind of what the WHA teams in Minnesota (Fighting Saints) and New England Whalers did

 

[Roadhog]

For aspiring girls/ladies/women I hope there is Expansion out West in say Calgary/Edmonton/Seattle/LA and a couple other hockey hotbeds! Got to think the Russian women would like to come over and play and get paid a decent/pretty good Salary

Baby steps. Calgary is probably at/near the top of the list being the base for Hockey Canada.
Buffalo, Michigan, maybe Chicago.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

Baby steps. Calgary is probably at/near the top of the list being the base for Hockey Canada.
Buffalo, Michigan, maybe Chicago.

Didn't Buffalo have the Buffalo Beauts...now that's a catchy name

 

[JMCx4]

From: CBC > Sports > Hockey

With draft in rearview, PWHL can begin turning focus to the ice

Schedule, playoff format, team names still to be determined ahead of January 2024 puck drop

Myles Dichter - CBC Sports
Posted: 7 Hours Ago
Last Updated: 4 Hours Ago (20 September 2023)

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) didn't even exist — at least publicly — until less than a month ago.

In the short time since, the six franchise locations have been announced, general managers were hired, there were landmark free-agent signings, coaches were brought aboard, and the inaugural 15-round entry draft was held in Toronto.

A whirlwind, to say the least. Yet there is still plenty more to be done before the season begins in January 2024. ...


Read more at: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/pwhl-whats-next-1.6972685

 

[Stealth1616]

Will be interesting to see how this league holds up. Probably about the 20th best hockey league in North America

 

[Bubbrubb231]

when will women be deemed professional by IIHF so they can wear a half-shield?

 

[Roadhog]

when will women be deemed professional by IIHF so they can wear a half-shield?

Never, because no man wants to date/marry a woman with Bobby Clarke's grill.

 

[dm8895]

Never, because no man wants to date/marry a woman with Bobby Clarke's grill.

 

[JMCx4]

when will women be deemed professional by IIHF so they can wear a half-shield?

Hey, a Patagonian recruitment opportunity, nice.