| Current season, competition or edition: | |
 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 2015 |
| Commissioner | Dani Rylan |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Countries | United States |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Boston Pride |
| Most titles | Boston Pride (First title) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN 3
NESN (Boston Pride games) |
| Official website | nwhl.zone |
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The National Women's Hockey League is an American women's professional ice hockey league. Established in 2015, the league comprises four teams: the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride , New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale. The league's championship trophy is the Isobel Cup, named after Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy, the daughter of Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, donor of the Stanley Cup.
Dani Rylan is the league's founder and commissioner.
The league's financial backing, most of which is provided by silent partners, has been a source of scrutiny. Canadian Joel Leonoff, CEO of Paysafe Group and father of Connecticut Whale goaltender Jaimie Leonoff, was later revealed as a key investor.
History[]
The formation of the NWHL was announced in March 2015. The league holds the distinction of being the first U.S women's hockey league to pay its players. Prior to the League's formation the only current choice for top level women's hockey in North America was the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), which is unpaid. The league runs on a salary cap of US $270,000 maximum per team and of $10,000 minimum per player. The players can also make additional revenue by way of a right to 15% of profits off any NWHL jersey sold with their name on it. The league placed its four original teams in what it considered to be strong traditional hockey markets where support would be strongest: in the New York City area, Buffalo and New England.
The inaugural NWHL Entry Draft took place in Boston on June 20. The league held tryout camps in various locales in Canada, along with an international player camp in Boston. In addition, due to the paid nature of the league and its placement in the Northeastern United States, the league attracted many top level United States women's national ice hockey team stars from the CWHL such as Hilary Knight and former Team USA captain Meghan Duggan, top graduating players from the NCAA, and international players. The league is recognized by USA Hockey as the top women's professional league.
In December 2015, the league signed their first league wide sponsorship deal, a multi-year deal with Dunkin Donuts.
On December 31, 2015, the Boston Pride played Montreal's Les Canadiennes of the CWHL to a 1–1 tie in the first Women's Winter Classic (officially the "Outdoor Women's Classic presented by Scotiabank") the day before the 2016 NHL Winter Classic and at the same site, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It was the first outdoor professional women's hockey game and the first game between the NWHL and the CWHL.
The 1st NWHL All-Star Game took place on January 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. The game featured a 4-on-4 format with Hilary Knight of the Boston Pride and Emily Pfalzer of the Buffalo Beauts serving as team captains.
On Saturday March 12th, 2016. The Boston Pride became the first ever Isobel Cup champions with a 3–1 win vs the Buffalo Beauts and a 2–0 series win.
Teams[]
The league consists of four teams concentrated in the Northeast.
Current teams
| Team | City | Primary Arena | Head Coach | Isobel Cups | Runners Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Pride | Boston, Massachusetts | Alexander C. Bright Hockey Center at Harvard | Bobby Jay | 1 | 0 |
| Buffalo Beauts | Buffalo, New York | HarborCenter | Ric Seiling | 0 | 1 |
| Connecticut Whale | North Branford, Connecticut | Northford Ice Pavilion | Heather Linstad | 0 | 0 |
| New York Riveters | New York, New York | Aviator Sports & Events Center | Chad Wiseman | 0 | 0 |
Seasons[]
2015–16
The inaugural NWHL Entry Draft took place in Boston on June 20. The draft order was decided on June 8 by lottery: the New York Riveters to pick first, followed by the Connecticut Whale, the Boston Pride, and the Buffalo Beauts.The first overall pick by the Riveters was Boston College graduate Alex Carpenter, the 2015 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award for the most outstanding player in NCAA women's hockey, and the daughter of National Hockey League All-Star Bobby Carpenter. The other first round picks wereUniversity of Minnesota forward Hannah Brandt by Connecticut, Northeastern University forward Kendall Coyne by Boston, and University of Wisconsin defenseman Courtney Burke by Buffalo.
The first game in league history, between the New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale on October 11, 2015, sold out.Manon Rheaume dropped the puck in the ceremonial opening faceoff before that game.The first goal in league history, in a 4–1 win by the host Whale, was scored by Jessica Koizumi of Connecticut.
Media coverage[]
The NWHL does not currently have a national television partner, although some of its games are shown on ESPN3, a sister streaming service to cable channel ESPN.It also streams non-ESPN3 games on its own YouTube channel for free. The service is dubbedThe Cross-Ice Pass.
The league's flagship franchise, the Boston Pride, became the first women's hockey team to enter a regular broadcasting agreement with a regional sports network, with 8 of its 18 games presented on either NESN or NESNplus during the league's inaugural season.