On the weekend one of the two major women’s professional hockey leagues ceased operations when the CWHL suddenly announced they were shutting down. That sent the women’s hockey world into turmoil, with speculation exploding over whether the NWHL would swoop into the markets left vacant. Emily Kaplan of ESPN finally got an answer today, as NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan told her that the league is expected to expand into Toronto and Montreal for the upcoming season. The NHL will also “significantly up” their sponsorship for the league—though according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that just means adding what they had been giving the CWHL.
The NHL has long stayed at arm’s length of the women’s professional market, not wanting to pick a side in the battle between the CWHL and NWHL. Though specific franchises have obviously made affiliations—Terry and Kim Pegula who own the Buffalo Sabres also own the NWHL’s Beauts—the league as a whole wasn’t going to be the one to decide which entity would come out on top. Getting a bigger investment from the men’s professional league is a huge step on the road to success for the NWHL, as other sports including the WBNA have proven.
Similarly, getting their league into Toronto and Montreal—obviously two of the biggest hockey markets in the world—was an absolute necessity after the CWHL folded. The NWHL is now expected to have seven teams for the upcoming season, and have not ruled out further expansion down the road.
The league is also about to get an influx of talent, as CWHL players flood free agency. Nearly the entire Canadian national team was playing there, and several prominent USA Hockey players including Hilary Knight, Briana Decker and Megan Bozek will also now be looking for new homes.