Montreal has the North American regular season attendance record in both the CWHL and PHF and on Tuesday morning, they were officially announced as one of the original six teams in the new PWHL.
A new era dawns for women’s hockey.@thepwhlofficial | 📰 https://t.co/W1gnBZjk06 pic.twitter.com/qA2YRgJ6VW
— PWHPA (@PWHPA) August 29, 2023
The official league announcement comes just under two months after the announcement that the PHF was bought by the group leading the PWHL on June 30. Joining Montreal in the PWHL’s “Original Six” are Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Boston, and Minnesota.
According to reports, the roster building process will get underway quickly. Free agency will open on September 1, with teams allowed to sign three players prior to a 15-round draft on September 18. Players must declare for the draft. The rest of the rosters, after the 18 first players per team, will be filled with undrafted free agents.
Players will make a minimum of $35,000 according to previous reports. At least six players must make a minimum of $80,000. There is no maximum salary cap, and every player will get a housing stipend per the CBA that was ratified in July. The CBA will be made public on the league’s website for the first time.
The league is expected to open training camps in November, with the season starting in January.
We will have continuing coverage of the new league and the Montreal team as it happens.
