The countdown is on! After an inaugural season that was successful in many respects, Season 2 of the PWHL will begin in a month, a season that should be even more spectacular. Calendar, training camps and even future expansion, we take stock of the latest news from the PWHL.
A big announcement in Quebec
The Sun, the Journal de Montréal or The Hockey Newsthe media had given the word: Quebec and its 18,259-seat Videotron Center will host the January 19 meeting between Montreal and Ottawa. The news was finally made official by the Victoire de Montréal team which summoned the media to Quebec on Wednesday for this “important announcement”. Like last season in Detroit and Pittsburgh, the PWHL will therefore offer matches on “neutral ice”, nine in total, which aim to promote the league in as many territories as possible. The aim in the background is also to test the markets for possible expansion. Quebec, which has lived for ages in nostalgia for the Nordiques and the (very) slim hope of a return to the NHL, sees an opportunity to experience the frenzy of the PWHL and score points.
Expansion in sight
It was bombshell news on Tuesday: two additional teams will join the PWHL for the 2025-26 season. This unexpected information came from the league’s vice-president of operations, Amy Scheer, who was the guest of a show on espnW« It’s a good time to look into it. » she said.
Expansion seems totally justified. The PWHL has experienced resounding success from its beginnings, a burst of growth and a wealth of talent preparing to join the PWHL in the short and medium term. A six-team configuration could only be temporary. The time for reflection begins for the leaders of the league by studying the market with precise criteria, from economic possibilities to the media environment, from the fanbase to infrastructures, each file will be evaluated by league to retain two cities on the horizon 2025. Furthermore, Scheer clarified that the league was also studying the possibilities of outdoor matches and matches in Europe.
Start of hostilities on November 30
The best players will meet on the last day of November for the launch of the second PWHL season. Saturday, November 30, the Toronto Scepters will host the Boston Fleet at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. At the same time at Place Bell in Laval, the Victoire de Montréal will battle against Ottawa Charge. The next day, the New York Sirens will travel to Minnesota to challenge the Frost. This is one more month of competition compared to season 1, each team will play 30 matches in the regular season, or six more.
Toronto, Montreal and New York relocated
After the media and popular success, three teams will move to a bigger place. Toronto will leave the small Mattamy Athletic Center, the historic 2,500-seat Maple Leaf Gardens, for the Coca-Cola Coliseum where the Scepters will play their first meeting of the season. Despite everything, Torontonians know this arena since it hosted their three playoff matches, each time with a full capacity of 8,500 people.
The Montrealers also know Place Bell in Laval, the home of the Laval Rocket, since they played six games there during the first season, this time they will take up residence there. Place Bell can reach 10,000 spectators, much more than the small Verdun Auditorium which has a capacity of 3,232 seats.
Finally, the New York Sirens will take possession of the Prudential Center which is none other than the Devils’ arena. Chloé Aurard and her teammates had played two matches in this venue during the first season, they should play 13 out of 14 home matches there. The fourteenth at Madison Square Garden? In any case, with the XCel Energy Center in Minnesota, the Prudential Center becomes the second NHL venue to also serve as the home of a PWHL team.
Mini-camps in November
The six teams will begin their selection phase with the aim of composing their final roster on November 12 with mini-training camps. From November 19 to 22, the training courses will be spread over two sites, in Toronto and Montreal. The camp rosters, made up of around thirty names for each team, contain players under contract, drafted players and free agents. The squad must be cut by November 27 at the latest to reach the 23 names that will make up each team.
A density of alignments that will go up a notch
You only have to look at the last draft, the players selected are of a very high caliber. Sarah Fillier, Danielle Serdachny, Cayla Barnes, Julia Gosling or Hannah Bilka, the PWHL will benefit from major university outings. Added to this are the European players who did not apply to join the league in the first year, either because they had to respect contractual obligations in Europe, or quite simply because they were in a waiting position. Suffice to say that the cards will be redistributed for the coming season, the show will be all the more exciting.
Obviously, before the start of hostilities on November 30, HockeyArchives will offer you an XXL presentation, you will know (almost) everything for the upcoming 2024-25 season!
And to wait:
