On January 1, 2024, the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) began its inaugural season. The PWHL is a new ice hockey league for women that is made up of six teams from the US and Canada and are located in Boston, Minnesota, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. The league was founded in the summer of 2023 and held a draft on September 18, 2023, to fill each team’s roster. The league will operate from January 1 to May 5 with each team playing 24 games throughout the season. The PWHL is a big step for the hockey community as it is looking to be the most successful professional hockey league for women.

The PWHL has already stood out from other women’s hockey leagues as it was decided that the league would adopt the same rule set that the NHL follows. By following NHL rules, this means that body checking is allowed for PWHL players, which is rare to see for a women’s hockey league. When the first games of the PWHL took place, the world was shocked to see the amount of aggression and physicality that the games had with heavy hits and scrums seen throughout the games. Five days after the PWHL season started, a game between Minnesota and Montreal set the attendance record for a professional women’s hockey event with 13,316 spectators filling the Xcel Energy Center. The PWHL received even more exposure when the league held a 3-on-3 showcase at the NHL all-star weekend. The showcase had two teams named Team King and Team Kloss which were made up of multiple players from each team. 

The PWHL has already made a lasting impact on the sport of hockey in just two months of operation. The league is planning to continue yearly with more possible teams and new season formats to come in the future.