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The Professional Women’s Hockey League is set to showcase its talent during its fourth season by holding its first all-star event in Toronto on March 7.
The day-long event will feature four teams competing in a 3-on-3 tournament at Scotiabank Arena, the NHL Maple Leafs home, the league announced in a news conference held at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Thursday.
The addition of an all-star event comes four years after the PWHL was established as a six-team league, with this season set to open in late November/early December. And it follows a spring in which the league grew to 12 teams by adding expansion franchises in Detroit, Las Vegas, San Jose, California, and Hamilton.
“The PWHL was built to feature the best players in the world, and now fans will see the highest level of skill in women’s hockey showcased in a new and unique way,” said Jayna Hefford, the league’s executive vice-president of hockey operations.
TSN will provide English-language coverage of the all-star game and CBC/Radio-Canada French-language coverage in Canada.
By selecting Toronto, the PWHL returns to its modest beginning. The league’s first game had Toronto hosting New York on Jan. 1, 2024, at the 2,500-seat Mattamy Athletic Centre. A month later, PWHL players took part in a 3-on-3 competition in Toronto as part of the NHL’s all-star weekend.
“Bringing the best players in the world together … speaks to how far this league has come in three years,” executive VP of business operations Amy Scheer said. “We can’t wait to return to Toronto, where our story began, and mark another important milestone in the evolution of the PWHL.
The all-star teams will feature 10-player rosters (six forwards, three defenders and a goalie). And they’ll split up by nationality — American, Canadian and international — and experience, rounded out by an all-rookie squad. The teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the second- and third-place teams playing in the semifinal round before facing the first-place finisher in the final.
Teams will be selected through a combination of fan, player, and media voting, with the PWHL choosing reserve players.
Scripps’ Sports, the PWHL’s new U.S. national broadcast partner, will air the games on Ion across the U.S.
