A year ago, when the Professional Women’s Hockey League was preparing to launch its inaugural season, few knew what to expect.
Women’s hockey leagues have come and gone over the years, and Jayna Hefford knows that better than most. She played in a few of those leagues over a Hall of Fame career, and served as commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League when it folded more than five years ago.
But when the six-team PWHL launched in January, the public reception of the new league exceeded expectations.
It showed through merchandise sales, which the league significantly underestimated, to attendance, including a record-breaking crowd of more than 21,000 that sold out the Bell Centre in Montreal in just minutes.
“We always believed it to be true,” said Hefford, who is the PWHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations. “We had a vision for it. But to see it happen as quickly as it did was something that was pretty special.”
WATCH | Early predictions for the 2nd PWHL season on Hockey North:
Host Anastasia Bucsis is joined by PWHL insider Karissa Donkin as they give their early predictions ahead of the 2nd PWHL seasons.
The challenge going into season two isn’t just to sustain that momentum, but to keep growing. The league will be playing in bigger venues over an expanded season that will see each team play 30 games.
All of that means more tickets to sell, as the league balances meeting demand with not doing too much too fast.
While attendance was strong in Canadian markets last season, the league still needs to work on building a steady fan base in American markets like New York. The Sirens will call New Jersey’s Prudential Center its primary home this season, after splitting time between three arenas in three states last season.
The PWHL regular-season will kick off on Saturday with the Toronto Sceptres hosting the Boston Fleet at 2 p.m. ET at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The game will be streamed on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, and CBC Sports App.
It’s the first of 17 Saturday games that will be broadcast by CBC this season.
Here are five new things to watch in the PWHL’s second season:
New branding
Each team is going into the season with a clearer identity after the league unveiled names, logos and new Bauer jerseys over the off-season.
While jerseys for some teams were sold out online through much of last season, the league is working to make sure the new jerseys stay in stock.
When it comes to accessibility and marketing, the league has shifted how it will make games available to fans in Canada for the second season. All 90 regular-season games will be broadcast between CBC, TSN and Amazon Prime.
The difference this season is you won’t find them streaming for free on YouTube in Canada. YouTube will still carry games in the United States and internationally.
“It’s a really hard decision to make because accessibility is really important for us,” Amy Scheer, the PWHL’s senior vice president of business operations, said.
“But you hope on the flip side that the fans understand that this is really a very important next step for the sustainability and growth of our league.”
Bigger venues
After selling out every home game before the puck dropped on last season, the Toronto Sceptres will play their home games at the larger Coca-Cola Coliseum. The rink seats around 8,000 fans, much bigger than last year’s home at Mattamy Athletic Centre, where fewer than 3,000 fans could attend.
While the league was under fire to sign agreements with venues late in the year in the first season, this off-season gave the league a bit more breathing room to find the right locations. Something around 10,000 seats would seem to be the sweet spot for the league at this stage.
Fresh faces
Fillier, 24, has been a mainstay on the Canadian national team for several years, and is likely to be a star in the PWHL for many years to come. She’ll be coached by Greg Fargo, who was hired to replace Howie Draper behind New York’s bench over the off-season.
Fillier gives Fargo a few options. She can play down the middle or on the wing, where she could be paired with another offensive threat in Alex Carpenter — a scary thought for opposing teams.
Other newcomers to watch include Ottawa’s Danielle Serdachny, who will add some size and skill to the Charge’s top six, and Boston forward Hannah Bilka, whose speed and hockey sense made her the fourth-overall pick earlier this year.
“We expect [Serdachny] to be an impact player for us right away,” Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner said. “She has an amazing skillset, but I think what makes her so elite is just the way she thinks the game.”
Rule changes
The PWHL experimented with new rules and formats in season one, including the “jailbreak” rule that sees a player freed from the penalty box when their team scores shorthanded.
The “jailbreak” rule is back again this season, but the league has also introduced the “no escape” rule, which restricts the penalized team from changing lines after a penalty is called.
“You want to make it entertaining for fans and increase scoring,” Hefford told CBC Sports.
The team has tried to add more clarity around bodychecking this season, too. The league is still welcoming physical play, particularly along the boards, but wants to crack down on any head contact this season.
An illegal hit to the head will automatically result in a major penalty and game misconduct, and will result in a review with the league’s central situation room.
Defending a title
For the first time, a team will begin the season as reigning Walter Cup champions. The Minnesota Frost will look to reclaim the crown after defeating the Boston Fleet in five games last spring.
Every team will have the defending champs, led by Ilana Kloss playoff MVP, Taylor Heise, on their radar.
“We have a spot on our back,” Heise told the Associated Press earlier this month. “Everyone’s going to look at us a specific way.”
“Those losses, personally, always stick with me,” Keller said.
“It’s something to fall back on when you get in those big moments again, whether that be fuel for winning a game or just using it as an experience overall in learning lessons.”