The Interstitial State of Professional Women’s Hockey: What Does the PHF Acquisition Mean for the Sport?

As of last month, there are no longer two professional women’s hockey leagues vying for dominance in the North American market. On June 29, the Mark Walter Group – Walter also being a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea FC – and Billie Jean King Enterprises acquired the Premier Hockey Federation.

This acquisition partnered the PHF with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), combining the two leagues into one. Per Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News, this new league will consist of six teams, down from the combined 11 total across its predecessors (seven in the PHF and four in the PWHPA).

Substantially, The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman shared via Twitter that players in the PHF learned of their league’s acquisition at the same time as the public. 

What this means for players

The lack of transparency for the players impacted by this deal is concerning. Veteran defender Kaleigh Fratkin, who helped the Boston Pride win back-to-back Isobel Cups in 2021 and 2022, discussed the lack of consideration afforded to players.

“We would love to have been in those conversations and had a seat at the table,” Fratkin said.

Instead, players were in the dark, neither informed nor having any input into the process of the merger.

Erica L. Ayala reported that both the PWHPA and the PHF’s own player association were taking the steps to formalize a union. Because they lacked  union representation, the leagues’ players were subject to at-will employment, meaning that no cause was needed when all existing PHF contracts were voided.

There will be no professional women’s hockey played in the 2023-2024 season, though the new joint league will be launching in January 2024. It is uncertain what and where the league’s teams will be, though Boston – home to the three-time Isobel Cup-winning Pride – is at least one likely candidate.

The new six-team league will have just 138 roster spots, but a player pool of about 250 women. As a result, at least 100 players will lose their job. Despite more players (about 160) coming from the PHF, compared to the PWHPA’s 98 in their most recent seasons, “former PWHPA players will have priority access to contracts in the new league,” according to Goldman.

Those PHF players seeking a spot in the new league will not only be competing with being deprioritized, but also directly against the likes of some of the best names in the sport. Sarah Nurse, Abby Roque, Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin are all member players of the PWHPA.

In the face of these compounding issues regarding lack of communication and extreme consolidation, a coalition of veteran PHF players came forward to express support for the new league and hope for its future. In a joint statement, a committee of 11 members representing all seven PHF teams, including Fratkin, Metropolitan Riveters captain Madison Packer and Shiann Darkangelo of the Toronto Six – who captained her team to an Isobel Cup victory this past season – urged a departure from “the divisive narrative” which plagued the two leagues and to instead “celebrate the future.”

Structural Support and Stability

Packer also stated that there is a contingent of players excited for what can come about from the combined forces of the best players from the PHF, PWHPA, and abroad.

Compared to other North American women’s leagues such as the WNBA and NWSL, women’s hockey currently lacks structural support. Though demand for women’s professional sports is only growing, leagues are typically helped by their proximity to men’s leagues.

During the PHF’s 2018-2019 season (when they were then the National Women’s Hockey League), average game attendance hovered around or below 1,000.

While support from the NHL is not guaranteed, the new women’s league is in contact with commissioner Gary Bettman.

Regardless of involvement from professional men’s hockey, though, this unification in women’s hockey seeks to provide greater stability in the interest of growing the game.

Stay tuned for more hockey content, including off-season moves and prospect updates.

Featured content courtesy of the Premier Hockey Federation.

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