November is here. The month brings the return of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) to action for its third season. Meanwhile what questions do we still have about the season, the teams, the games, the players, and the fan experience heading into the campaign?
When will we get those team names for PWHL Seattle & Vancouver?
When the expansion team jerseys were revealed we learned that the PHWL teams out West WILL announce team names ahead of the season. We’ve got three weeks until puck drop on the season, and time is ticking! Secondary questions include will they add the new names and logo as a patch to the existing jerseys? And will they sell road jerseys to fans?
Where will the PWHL Takeover Tour land?
Right now, the PWHL has 20 games on the schedule without an assigned venue. They begin on Wednesday December 17th when the Montreal Victoire visit the Toronto Sceptres, and end on April 11th as the same Montreal Victoire head to Boston to face the Fleet. It’s not likely that all 20 of those games will be part of a tour, and alternate arenas will be found in home markets for those contests. However, a 2025-26 Takeover Tour will have a similar number of stops in anticipation of potential further league expansion.
Last season, the PWHL held nine games in neutral markets, beginning in the now two expansion team markets of Seattle, Washington & Vancouver, British Columbia. Other cities included Denver, Quebec City, Edmonton, Buffalo, Raleigh, Detroit, and St. Louis. Will we see any repeat visits and will these stops provide any clues to those expansion possibilities?
What will the PWHL Playoffs format be?
So far, the PHWL is quiet about how many teams will earn playoff berths, and what the format of the playoffs will look like. They could repeat the 4 team structure with a best of three semi-final and final that took place last season, add more games to the same structure, or add more teams to the mix. The PWHL might even come up with something entirely new, but who’s to say at this point?
What is the PWHL broadcast structure going to look like?
The PWHL schedule was announced back on October 1st with a promise to let fans know the broadcast information in coming weeks. It’s October 31st and we still do not know where fans will be able to tune in when the puck drops on November 21st in Minnesota and Vancouver. Last season, NY Sirens games were available on MSG Networks, the Minnesota Frost were on FanDuel Sports Network North, and Boston Fleet games aired on NESN. In Canada, Montreal Victoire, Toronto Sceptres, and Ottawa Charge games were available on TSN, CBC Radio Canada, with selected games shown on Prime Video.
All games previously streamed live on YouTube, with international availability outside of North America as well. Edited versions of the YouTube broadcasts were posted to the PWHL Channel for delayed viewing, but sometimes not for days after the conclusion of a particular game. Should the PWHL return to YouTube streaming, with more teams and more games happening simultaneously, it would benefit the league to speed up that process to allow fans to watch games they missed on the same day.
Will Casey O’Brien ever sign with the NY Sirens?
The NY Sirens first round pick at 3rd overall in the 2025 PWHL Draft still does not have a contract. The forward and Patty Kazmaier winner who last played for the University of Wisconsin was recently named to Team USA for the upcoming Rivalry Series, and thus has two extra days before needing to appear at Sirens training camp November 9th. Will they work out a deal by then?
