BOSTON — The Premier Hockey Federation, which includes clubs in Toronto and Montreal, has announced a doubling of its salary cap to US$1.5 million per team for the 2023-24 season.
The Toronto Six and expansion Montreal Force are the two Canadian clubs in the women's hockey league in its ninth season.
The U.S.-based Metropolitan Riveters, Boston Pride, Connecticut Whale, Minnesota Whitecaps and Buffalo Beauts round out the PHF, which was the NWHL before a rebranding in 2021.
The latest increase means the salary cap will have gone up 900 per cent since 2021 when it was $150,000 per team, the league said Wednesday in a statement.
“This historic salary cap increase reflects the strength of our league and developing business model, and supports an enhanced player experience that over the last year has introduced full health care benefits, facility upgrades, league expansion, and a record 84-game schedule,” PHF commissioner Reagan Carey said in the statement.
“We know how dedicated and selfless these players are to building more opportunities for women in sport, and the PHF is committed to prioritizing our support of these talented and skilled players on and off the ice. Players, alumni, staff, coaches, volunteers, partners, ownership, and our passionate fans have all been working towards ensuring full-time professional hockey is a career path for women."
The PHF increased its salary cap this season to US$750,000, which on a 25-player roster is an average of $30,000 per player.
Players can opt to make their contract terms public. For those who have, salaries range from $13,500 to $80,000 this season.
Contracts on all seven PHF teams currently exceed 75 per cent of the cap, the league said.
“The PHF was the first league to pay its players back in 2015, and our commitment to building the best home for women’s professional hockey requires us to continue leading the way forward," Carey said. "Greater financial opportunities for athletes is part of the new PHF era. We are doing the work, and we are seeing the results.”
The U.S.-based BTM Partners own both Canadian teams, plus the Pride and Riveters. The PHF's constitution currently allows for ownership of multiple teams.
The Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association, whose 82 members include Canadian and U.S. national-team players, emerged from the collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) in 2019.
Some PWHPA members have joined the PHF this season, including 10 who transferred to the Montreal Force.
But Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Brianne Jenner, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hilary Knight are among the stars who refuse to join the PHF and instead play showcase games and tournaments on a Dream Gap Tour.
The PWHPA has signed a letter of intent with Billie Jean King and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter as potential backers for a women's league.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2022.
The Canadian Press
