2024 PWHL season
Sports season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2024 PWHL season was the first season of operation of the Professional Women's Hockey League, and began play on January 1, 2024. It started off with six teams that competed without any unique names or branding: PWHL Boston, PWHL Minnesota, PWHL Montreal, PWHL New York, PWHL Ottawa, and PWHL Toronto. The regular season began on January 1, 2024. PWHL Toronto topped the regular season standings with 17 wins and 47 points. A two-round, best-of-five playoff including the top four teams was then held from May 8 to May 29. PWHL Minnesota won the inaugural Walter Cup, defeating PWHL Boston in a 5-game series for the title.
| 2024 PWHL season | |
|---|---|
| |
| League | Professional Women's Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | January 1 – May 5, 2024 |
| Games | 24 per team |
| Teams | 6 |
| Total attendance | 392,259 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, TSN, Sportsnet |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Taylor Heise |
| Picked by | PWHL Minnesota |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | PWHL Toronto |
| Season MVP | Natalie Spooner (PWHL Toronto) |
| Top scorer | Natalie Spooner (PWHL Toronto) (27) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Taylor Heise (Minnesota) |
| Walter Cup | |
| Champions | PWHL Minnesota |
| Runners-up | PWHL Boston |
League business
The PWHL was announced in August 2023 after the Mark Walter Group announced the formation of a new league aligned with the players in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, and then subsequently purchased and folded the rival Premier Hockey Federation in June 2023.[1] On August 29, the locations of the six charter franchises were announced.[2]
On September 1, 2023, a 10-day free agency period began, during which each team was eligible to sign up to three players.[3][4] On the same day, the league announced the general managers for each team: Danielle Marmer for Boston, Natalie Darwitz for Minnesota, Pascal Daoust for New York, Gina Kingsbury for Toronto, Daniele Sauvageau for Montreal, and Michael Hirshfeld for Ottawa.[5] On September 5, Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner, and Emerance Maschmeyer became the first players signed to PWHL contracts when they signed with Ottawa.[6]
On September 18, 2023, the inaugural PWHL Draft took place. It was a 15-round draft, with the initial order determined by a lottery, and subsequent rounds following a "snake format" in which the team who selected last in the previous round selected first in the next round, and the selection order was reversed.[3] The draft order was announced on September 1, with the lottery won by Minnesota, followed by Toronto, Boston, New York, Ottawa, and Montreal.[7] The league allowed players to apply for "compassionate circumstances" in order to stay in their home markets, with those approved eligible to be drafted only by their home market teams; the list of approved players will not be publicly released.[8] Taylor Heise was picked first overall by Minnesota.[9]
On October 25, 2023, PWHL Holdings, LLC filed potential names for the six teams with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. According to The Athletic, the potential names were Boston Wicked, Minnesota Superior, Montreal Echo, New York Sound, Ottawa Alert, and Toronto Torch. PWHL Holdings had previously filed trademarks for the league name and logos.[10] However, the league eventually opted against naming the teams ahead of the season due to time constraints; for the 2024 season only, the teams were known by their city names, and team jerseys featured a diagonal wordmark of their home city.[11]
Training camps opened on November 15, with final rosters confirmed on December 11. Final rosters include 23 roster players and 3 reserve players.[12]
From December 3 to 7, all six teams congregated for a pre-season evaluation camp in Utica, New York, which included scrimmages at the Utica University Nexus Center.[13] PWHL executive Jayna Hefford stated that the unified camp enabled the league to experiment and provided an opportunity for team and player education around issues like safety and doping.[13]
On January 15, it was announced that 24 PWHL players would participate in the 2024 NHL All-Star weekend in Toronto, playing a 3-on-3 showcase game on February 1.[14]
The PWHL season paused for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship, which ran from April 3–14, and featured 39 PWHL players.[15]
On May 22, 2024, the PWHL was announced as the winner of the Sports Business Journal's 2024 Breakthrough of the Year award.[16]
On May 24, 2024, the league announced that the 2024 PWHL Awards ceremony would be held June 10–11 at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront Hotel in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota.[17]
Coaching changes
On December 27, 2023, one week before PWHL Minnesota's inaugural game, the team announced that head coach Charlie Burggraf had decided to step away from the team, citing family reasons.[18] Burggraf had been named the team's first coach on September 15, 2023, and coached the team to a perfect 3–0 record in the preseason.[19] Ken Klee was then named Burggraf's replacement.[20]
Regular season
Standings
(E) Eliminated; (X) Clinched playoff berth; (Y) Clinched first place
Notes:
- Greater number of games won, excluding games won by Shootout: Boston 11 wins, Minnesota 10 wins
Schedule
The regular season schedule was announced on November 30, 2023. The season began on January 1 and ended on May 5, 2024, with each team playing 24 games. The schedule paused in February for an IIHF National Team Break, and in April for the 2024 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships. The playoffs began the week of May 6.[21][22][23][24]
All times in Eastern Time.[25]
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Pre-season camp
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Regular season
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Statistics
Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in regular season points at the conclusion of the season.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natalie Spooner | Toronto | 24 | 20 | 7 | 27 | +11 | 4 |
| Sarah Nurse | Toronto | 24 | 11 | 12 | 23 | +6 | 14 |
| Marie-Philip Poulin | Montreal | 21 | 10 | 13 | 23 | +8 | 14 |
| Alex Carpenter | New York | 24 | 8 | 15 | 23 | −8 | 0 |
| Ella Shelton | New York | 24 | 7 | 14 | 21 | −6 | 12 |
| Brianne Jenner | Ottawa | 24 | 9 | 11 | 20 | +1 | 4 |
| Grace Zumwinkle | Minnesota | 24 | 11 | 8 | 19 | +6 | 4 |
| Emma Maltais | Toronto | 24 | 4 | 15 | 19 | +6 | 16 |
| Laura Stacey | Montreal | 23 | 10 | 8 | 18 | +4 | 2 |
| Kateřina Mrázová | Ottawa | 23 | 6 | 12 | 18 | −2 | 16 |
| Erin Ambrose | Montreal | 24 | 4 | 14 | 18 | +5 | 4 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of the season.
Minimum 240 minutes
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | OTL | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elaine Chuli | Montreal | 8 | 483:41 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | .949 | 1.61 |
| Kristen Campbell | Toronto | 22 | 1293:59 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 3 | .927 | 1.99 |
| Aerin Frankel | Boston | 18 | 1050:52 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 35 | 1 | .929 | 2.00 |
| Maddie Rooney | Minnesota | 10 | 605:34 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 2 | .915 | 2.08 |
| Nicole Hensley | Minnesota | 14 | 849:22 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 31 | 1 | .919 | 2.19 |
Attendance
| Home team | Home games | Average attendance | Total attendance[31] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | 12 | 7,496 | 89,952 |
| Minnesota | 12 | 7,138 | 85,660 |
| Montreal | 11 | 6,881 | 75,686 |
| Toronto | 12 | 3,912 | 46,948 |
| Boston | 11 | 3,770 | 41,474 |
| New York | 12 | 2,496 | 29,952 |
| Neutral sites | 2 | 11,293 | 22,586 |
| League | 70 | 5,448 | 392,259 |
On February 16, 2024, Toronto hosted its first game at Scotiabank Arena against Montreal dubbed by the league as "The Battle on Bay Street."[32] The game set a league and women's hockey attendance record with a sellout crowd of 19,285, beating the previous record of 18,013 at the 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship.[33] On April 20, 2024, Montreal hosted Toronto at the Bell Centre dubbed as the "Duel at the Top" breaking the previously set record with an attendance of 21,105.[34]
Supplemental discipline
Suspensions
† - suspension covered at least one 2024 postseason game
| Date of incident | Offender | Team | Offense | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 24, 2024 | Taylor Wenczkowski | Boston | Roughing Amanda Boulier.[35] | 1 game |
| March 8, 2024 | Brittany Howard | Toronto | Cross-check to the back of the head of Catherine Daoust.[36] | 1 game |
| March 20, 2024 | Jocelyne Larocque | Toronto | Cross-check to the back of the head of Alina Müller.[37] | 1 game |
| May 4, 2024 | Sarah Lefort | Montreal | Open-ice check against Jamie Lee Rattray.[38] | 1 game† |
| Total: | 4 games | |||
Fines
| Date of incident | Offender | Team | Offense | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 8, 2024 | Brittany Howard | Toronto | Grabbing the facemask of Sarah Lefort.[36] | $250.00 |
| March 8, 2024 | Rebecca Leslie | Toronto | Grabbing the facemask of Sarah Bujold.[36] | $250.00 |
| March 20, 2024 | Tereza Vanišová | Ottawa | Hitting Abby Roque from behind.[37] | $250.00 |
| April 20, 2024 | Amanda Pelkey | Boston | Unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of the April 18 game against Toronto.[39] | $500.00 |
| May 4, 2024 | Liz Schepers | Minnesota | Hit on Jaime Bourbonnais.[38] | $500.00 |
| May 4, 2024 | Mélodie Daoust | Montreal | Grabbing the facemask of Emily Brown.[38] | $250.00 |
| Total: | $2,000.00 | |||
PWHL Playoffs
By virtue of finishing first overall, Toronto was able to choose its first-round opponent between fourth-place Minnesota and third-place Boston. On May 6, Toronto announced their choice to play Minnesota, leaving Montreal to play Boston in the other semi-final.[40]
| Semi-finals | PWHL Finals | |||||||||||||
| May 8–17, Coca-Cola Coliseum and Xcel Energy Center | ||||||||||||||
| PWHL Toronto | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0** | 1 | |||||||||
| May 19–29, Tsongas Center and Xcel Energy Center | ||||||||||||||
| PWHL Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1** | 4 | |||||||||
| PWHL Minnesota | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0** | 3 | |||||||||
| May 9–18, Place Bell and Tsongas Center | ||||||||||||||
| PWHL Boston | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1** | 0 | |||||||||
| PWHL Montreal | 1* | 1*** | 2* | — | — | |||||||||
| PWHL Boston | 2* | 2*** | 3* | — | — | |||||||||
- * – Denotes overtime period(s)
Semi-finals
Toronto (1) vs. Minnesota (4)
Toronto finished first overall in the league, earning 47 points. Minnesota finished in 4th place with 35 points. Toronto won three of four regular season meetings against Minnesota, including both meetings in Toronto and with one win coming in overtime.
Minnesota defeated Toronto in five games, winning three straight after losing the first two. In game one, Blayre Turnbull scored twice, Natalie Spooner recorded a goal and an assist, and Kristen Campbell made 26 saves to earn her first career playoff shutout—the first playoff shutout in league history—as Toronto defeated Minnesota 4–0.[41] Game two remained scoreless until Jesse Compher scored with 1:25 left in regulation to give Toronto a 1–0 lead; Hannah Miller added an empty-net goal with 10 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach, with Campbell turning aside 21 Minnesota shots to give Toronto a 2–0 victory.[42] In game three, with Minnesota facing elimination, Maddie Rooney made 18 saves for Minnesota in a 2–0 victory, with Maggie Flaherty scoring Minnesota's first goal of the series at 2:12 of the second period.[43] Toronto also lost league leading-scorer Spooner to an injury, and she would not return for the rest of the series.[44] In game four, neither team scored in regulation; Claire Butorac scored 4:27 into the second overtime period for Minnesota as Rooney made 19 saves in the win, sending the series to a fifth and deciding game.[45] In game five, Taylor Heise scored twice, including the game winner in the third period, while Rooney stopped 27 shots to secure a 4–1 victory and a spot in the Walter Cup Finals.[46]
| May 8 | PWHL Minnesota | 0–4 | PWHL Toronto | Coca-Cola Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 09:47 – Natalie Spooner (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 00:55 – Emma Maltais (1) 15:05 – Blayre Turnbull (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:22 – Blayre Turnbull (2) | ||||||
| Nicole Hensley 16 saves / 20 shots | Goalie stats | Kristen Campbell 26 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| May 10 | PWHL Minnesota | 0–2 | PWHL Toronto | Coca-Cola Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 18:35 – Jesse Compher (1) 19:50 – en – Hannah Miller (1) | ||||||
| Maddie Rooney 28 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Kristen Campbell 21 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| May 13 | PWHL Toronto | 0–2 | PWHL Minnesota | Xcel Energy Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 2:12 – Maggie Flaherty (1) 8:39 – Denisa Křížová (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Kristen Campbell 24 saves / 26 shots | Goalie stats | Maddie Rooney 18 saves / 18 shots | ||||||
| May 15 | PWHL Toronto | 0–1 | 2OT | PWHL Minnesota | Xcel Energy Center | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second overtime period | 4:27 – Claire Butorac (1) | ||||||
| Kristen Campbell 28 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Maddie Rooney 19 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| May 17 | PWHL Minnesota | 4–1 | PWHL Toronto | Coca-Cola Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Denisa Křížová (2) – pp – 7:29 | Second period | 8:07 – Rebecca Leslie (1) | ||||||
| Taylor Heise (1) – pp – 8:30 Sophia Kunin (1) – en – 18:48 Taylor Heise (2) – en – 19:45 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Maddie Rooney 27 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Kristen Campbell 27 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| Minnesota won series 3–2 | |
Montreal (2) vs. Boston (3)
Boston finished 3rd place in the league earning 35 points. Montreal finished in 2nd place earning 41 points. Montreal and Boston split their regular season series with two wins each, including one regulation and one overtime win each.
Boston defeated Montreal in a three-game sweep, with all three games decided in overtime. In game one, Aerin Frankel made 53 saves, and Susanna Tapani scored the game-winning goal in overtime—the first overtime goal in PWHL playoff history—and Boston won the game 2–1.[47] Game two was decided at 8:16 of the third overtime period, with Taylor Wenczkowski netting her first career PWHL goal, securing a 2–1 victory for Boston; Frankel made 56 saves in the contest, breaking her previous save record from Game 1.[48] In game three, with Montreal leading 2–0 lead after two periods, Boston scored twice in the third to send the game into overtime for the third consecutive time. Boston won the game 3–2, with Tapani scoring the game-winning goal, her second of the series, just 62 seconds into overtime, clinching the series for Boston.[49]
| May 9 | PWHL Boston | 2–1 | OT | PWHL Montreal | Place Bell | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 01:07 – pp – Kristin O'Neill (1) | ||||||
| Lexie Adzija (1) – 01:48 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Susanna Tapani (1) – 14:25 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Aerin Frankel 53 saves / 54 shots | Goalie stats | Ann-Renée Desbiens 24 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| May 11 | PWHL Boston | 2–1 | 3OT | PWHL Montreal | Place Bell | Recap | ||
| Amanda Pelkey (1) – 06:48 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 01:58 – pp – Kristin O'Neill (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Taylor Wenczkowski (1) – 11:44 | Third overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Aerin Frankel 56 saves / 57 shots | Goalie stats | Ann-Renée Desbiens 50 saves / 52 shots | ||||||
| May 14 | PWHL Montreal | 2–3 | OT | PWHL Boston | Tsongas Center | Recap | ||
| Marie-Philip Poulin (1) – 15:39 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Maureen Murphy (1) – pp – 13:35 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 7:06 – Sophie Shirley (1) 16:17 – sh – Amanda Pelkey (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 1:02 – Susanna Tapani (2) | ||||||
| Ann-Renée Desbiens 21 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Aerin Frankel 32 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| Boston won series 3–0 | |
PWHL Finals
Boston (3) vs. Minnesota (4)
Boston won three out of five meetings against Minnesota during the regular season, including one overtime win and two wins on the road at Xcel Energy Center.
Minnesota defeated Boston in five games to capture the inaugural Walter Cup championship. Although Michela Cava opened the scoring for Minnesota in game one, Aerin Frankel stopped 30 out of 33 shots as Boston secured a 4–3 victory.[50] Minnesota responded in game two with a 3–0 victory that saw Nicole Hensley post a shutout and Sophie Jaques score two goals.[51] Minnesota secured another 3-goal win in game three, with Taylor Heise scoring her league-leading fifth playoff goal to open the scoring en route to a 4–1 win.[52] Game four was scoreless into a second overtime period. Minnesota appeared to capture the victory and the series when Jaques shot the puck past Frankel with 2:34 remaining; however, the goal was reviewed and disallowed due to goaltender interference, and 70 seconds after play resumed, Alina Müller scored for Boston to send the series to a fifth and deciding game.[53] In game five, Hensley secured her second shutout of the series and Liz Schepers' second period goal stood as the winner as Minnesota secured a 3–0 victory and the Walter Cup title.[54] Heise, who led the playoffs in scoring, was voted the most valuable player of the playoffs.[55]
| May 19 | PWHL Minnesota | 3–4 | PWHL Boston | Tsongas Center | Recap | |||
| Michela Cava (1) – 4:38 | First period | 7:08 – Susanna Tapani (3) | ||||||
| Taylor Heise (3) – 8:04 Taylor Heise (4) – 17:10 |
Second period | 12:50 – Taylor Wenczkowski (2) 15:11 – Hannah Brandt (1) 17:25 – Jess Healey (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Maddie Rooney 18 saves / 22 shots | Goalie stats | Aerin Frankel 30 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| May 21 | PWHL Minnesota | 3–0 | PWHL Boston | Tsongas Center | Recap | |||
| Michela Cava (2) – 14:25 Sophie Jaques (1) – 16:21 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Sophie Jaques (2) – en – 17:31 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Nicole Hensley 20 saves / 20 shots | Goalie stats | Aerin Frankel 20 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| May 24 | PWHL Boston | 1–4 | PWHL Minnesota | Xcel Energy Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 0:59 – Taylor Heise (5) 17:38 – Sydney Brodt (1) | ||||||
| Alina Müller (1) – 19:58 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 3:29 – Michela Cava (3) 16:10 – sh – en – Grace Zumwinkle (1) | ||||||
| Aerin Frankel 21 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Nicole Hensley 18 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| May 26 | PWHL Boston | 1–0 | 2OT | PWHL Minnesota | Xcel Energy Center | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Alina Müller (2) – 18:36 | Second overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Aerin Frankel 33 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Nicole Hensley 32 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| May 29 | PWHL Minnesota | 3–0 | PWHL Boston | Tsongas Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Liz Schepers (1) – 6:14 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Michela Cava (4) – 8:08 Kendall Coyne Schofield (1) – en – 17:54 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Nicole Hensley 17 saves / 17 shots | Goalie stats | Aerin Frankel 41 saves / 43 shots | ||||||
| Minnesota won series 3–2 | |
Statistics
Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in playoff points at the conclusion of the Walter Cup.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Heise | Minnesota | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | +6 | 2 |
| Michela Cava | Minnesota | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +6 | 4 |
| Sophie Jaques | Minnesota | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +6 | 2 |
| Liz Schepers | Minnesota | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +2 | 2 |
| Mellissa Channell | Minnesota | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | +6 | 2 |
| Susanna Tapani | Boston | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | +0 | 2 |
| Kendall Coyne Schofield | Minnesota | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +6 | 0 |
| Megan Keller | Boston | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +2 | 10 |
| Alina Müller | Boston | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +1 | 0 |
| Amanda Pelkey | Boston | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +0 | 0 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in playoffs goals against average at the conclusion of the Walter Cup.
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kristen Campbell | Toronto | 5 | 321:03 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | .962 | 0.93 |
| Nicole Hensley | Minnesota | 5 | 338:29 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | .945 | 1.06 |
| Maddie Rooney | Minnesota | 5 | 322:12 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | .948 | 1.12 |
| Aerin Frankel | Boston | 8 | 580:80 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 1 | .953 | 1.45 |
| Ann-Renée Desbiens | Montreal | 3 | 247:11 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .931 | 1.70 |
Attendance
| Home team | Home games | Average attendance | Total attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal | 2 | 9,654 | 19,307 |
| Toronto | 3 | 8,518 | 25,555 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 7,067 | 28,268 |
| Boston | 4 | 4,535 | 18,141 |
| League | 13 | 7,021 | 91,271 |
All-Star Showcase
On January 15, 2024, the PWHL along with the National Hockey League (NHL) announced the Canadian Tire PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase, which was hosted by the NHL on February 1, 2024, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto as part of the NHL's All-Star Game.[56][57]
24 players from all six PWHL teams competed in one 20-minute game. PWHL Special Advisor Cassie Campbell-Pascall and New Jersey Devils Director of Player Development, Meghan Duggan served as coaches. The two teams were named in honor of former tennis players and current PWHL advisory board members Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss.[58] Each team was also accompanied by celebrity coaches with former figure skater Tessa Virtue joining Team King and basketball player Jonquel Jones joining Team Kloss.[59]
New York's Micah Zandee-Hart was also selected to play but was unable to participate due to injury.[58]
Head coaches:  Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Tessa Virtue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nat. | Player | Team | Pos. | # |
| Kendall Coyne Schofield (C) | Minnesota | F | 26 |
| Hilary Knight | Boston | F | 21 |
 | Alina Müller | Boston | F | 11 |
| Kelly Pannek | Minnesota | F | 12 |
| Marie-Philip Poulin | Montreal | F | 29 |
| Blayre Turnbull | Toronto | F | 40 |
| Savannah Harmon | Ottawa | D | 15 |
| Megan Keller | Boston | D | 5 |
| Ella Shelton | New York | D | 17 |
| Lee Stecklein | Minnesota | D | 2 |
| Ann-Renée Desbiens | Montreal | G | 35 |
| Aerin Frankel | Boston | G | 31 |
Head coaches: Meghan Duggan,  Jonquel Jones | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nat. | Player | Team | Pos. | # |
| Alex Carpenter | New York | F | 25 |
| Emily Clark | Ottawa | F | 26 |
| Taylor Heise | Minnesota | F | 27 |
| Brianne Jenner (C) | Ottawa | F | 19 |
| Sarah Nurse | Toronto | F | 20 |
| Abby Roque | New York | F | 11 |
| Laura Stacey | Montreal | F | 7 |
| Erin Ambrose | Montreal | D | 23 |
| Renata Fast | Toronto | D | 14 |
| Jocelyne Larocque | Toronto | D | 3 |
| Nicole Hensley | Minnesota | G | 29 |
| Emerance Maschmeyer | Ottawa | G | 38 |
Game summary
| February 1, 2024 | Team King | 5–3 | Team Kloss | Scotiabank Arena | Recap | |||
| 00:59 – Ella Shelton (1) 09:39 – Savannah Harmon (1) |
First period | Alex Carpenter (1) – 02:07 Jocelyne Larocque (1) – 04:26 | ||||||
| 03:05 – Savannah Harmon (2) 03:40 – Savannah Harmon (3) 06:45 – Kendall Coyne Schofield (1) |
Second period | Brianne Jenner (1) – 08:54 | ||||||
| No period | Third period | No period | ||||||
| Ann-Renée Desbiens 8 saves / 10 shots Aerin Frankel 5 saves / 6 shots |
Goalie stats | Emerance Maschmeyer 6 saves / 9 shots Nicole Hensley 6 saves / 8 shots | ||||||
Awards and honors
PWHL Awards
On April 4, 2024, the PWHL announced that the league's championship trophy would be named the Walter Cup.[60] Further, on April 25, 2024, the league announced the remainder of the awards that would be handed out this year, including the Billie Jean King MVP Award and the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award.[61]
| Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Cup | PWHL Minnesota | PWHL Boston | [62] |
| Billie Jean King MVP Award Most valuable player, regular season | Natalie Spooner (Toronto) | Alex Carpenter (New York) Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal) | [63][64] |
| Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award Most valuable player, playoffs | Taylor Heise (Minnesota) | N/a | [65] |
| Forward of the Year | Natalie Spooner (Toronto) | Alex Carpenter (New York) Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal) | [66][67] |
| Defender of the Year | Erin Ambrose (Montreal) | Megan Keller (Boston) Ella Shelton (New York) | [68][69] |
| Goaltender of the Year | Kristen Campbell (Toronto) | Aerin Frankel (Boston) Corinne Schroeder (New York) | [70][71] |
| Rookie of the Year | Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota) | Emma Maltais (Toronto) Alina Müller (Boston) | [72][73] |
| Coach of the Year | Troy Ryan (Toronto) | Kori Cheverie (Montreal) Courtney Kessel (Boston) | [74][75] |
| Points Leader Regular season | Natalie Spooner (Toronto) – 27 | Alex Carpenter (New York) – 23 Sarah Nurse (Toronto) – 23 Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal) – 23 | [76] |
| Top Goal Scorer Regular season | Natalie Spooner (Toronto) – 20 | Sarah Nurse (Toronto) – 11 Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota) – 11 | [77] |
| Hockey for All Award Leadership and positive change in the community | Maureen Murphy (Montreal) | N/A | [78] |
| 3 Stars of the Week Leader | Natalie Spooner (Toronto) – 100 | Kristen Campbell (Toronto) – 70 Brianne Jenner (Ottawa) – 70 | [79] |
All-Star teams
| Position | First Team[80] | Second Team[81] | All-Rookie[82] |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | Alex Carpenter (New York) | Brianne Jenner (Ottawa) | Emma Maltais (Toronto) |
| Marie-Philip Poulin (Montreal) | Sarah Nurse (Toronto) | Alina Müller (Boston) | |
| Natalie Spooner (Toronto) | Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota) | Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota) | |
| D | Erin Ambrose (Montreal) | Renata Fast (Toronto) | Ashton Bell (Ottawa) |
| Ella Shelton (New York) | Megan Keller (Boston) | Sophie Jaques (Minnesota) | |
| G | Kristen Campbell (Toronto) | Aerin Frankel (Boston) | Emma Söderberg (Boston) |
Transactions
Draft
The 2023 PWHL Draft was held on September 18, 2023. Draft picks are not allowed to be traded until the conclusion of the 2024 season.[83] Players not drafted became free agents able to sign with any team. Players were drafted from a pool of 268 players who declared their eligibility.[84] Overall, 90 players were selected over 15 rounds. Minnesota made Taylor Heise the first player ever drafted into the PWHL.[85]
Free agency
Trades
| February 11, 2024 | To Boston Abby Cook Susanna Tapani |
To Minnesota Sophie Jaques |
[143] |
| March 18, 2024 | To Montreal Amanda Boulier |
To Ottawa Tereza Vanisova |
[144] |
| March 18, 2024 | Boston Lexie Adzija Caitrin Lonergan |
Ottawa Shiann Darkangelo |
[145] |
Contract terminations
| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 31, 2024 | Tori Howran | Ottawa | [134] |
| February 1, 2024 | Jess Jones | Toronto | [134] |
| February 14, 2024 | Nicole Kosta | Boston | [135] |
| February 18, 2024 | Mikyla Grant-Mentis | Ottawa | [136] |
Retirement
| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2024 | Brittany Howard | Toronto | [146] |
| June 3, 2024 | Jess Healey | Montreal | [147][148] |
| June 4, 2024 | Mélodie Daoust | Montreal | [149] |
| June 7, 2024 | Brittyn Fleming | Minnesota | [150] |