The Pembroke Pandas were a women’s hockey team created in 1964 by Brown University. It was not until two years later, in 1966, that they played their first game making them the first intercollegiate women’s ice hockey team in the United States. This game was 70 years after the first men’s intercollegiate ice hockey game with Yale University playing against John Hopkins University in 1896.
There has always been a noticeable gap in the general success of men’s sports versus women’s sports. However, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has been making considerable steps towards closing that gap.
“I think it is important for young female hockey players to have something to aspire for after high school or college play, especially since men have had a professional league for decades.
— Savannah Mordvinov, '26
.sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 { display: flex; float: right; margin: 30px 0 30px 30px; width: 50%; border-color: #888888; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; } .sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 p.quotespeaker { } .sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 p.pullquotetext { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 .largequote { color: #888888; } .sno-pullquote-690d8f2da64f3 .quotebody { width: unset; }In August of 2023, the Professional Women’s Hockey Player Association (PWHPA) and the Mark Walter Group announced the creation of a new professional ice hockey league for women, the PWHL. There were 6 inaugural teams which were placed in Boston, New York, Minnesota, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. The inaugural season of the PWHL officially began on New Year’s Day of 2024 and continued from there with a 72 game season and Minnesota winning the Walter Cup Championship over Boston.
The 2025-2026 season will mark the 3rd season of the PWHL and in their two prior seasons they have made numerous accomplishments. Previous professional women’s hockey leagues, such as the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), have failed due to limited views and financial issues. However, this has not yet been an issue for the PWHL. In just their first ever month of play, the PWHL gained over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and over 40 million views spanning 88 countries. In fact, the PWHL has had enough support and interest over their past two seasons that they are expanding and adding two new teams in the 2025-2026 season.
After seeing success last season in both the league’s neutral site games and overall increasing success rates, the league is expanding to include two new teams: the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent. These cities are already dominant hockey areas with the Vancouver Canucks and the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL) residing in their respective cities. These preexisting hockey fan bases, increasing number of youth hockey programs, and locale including arenas and practice buildings made these two cities the most viable locations for the new teams.
“I love women’s hockey and I think it is monumental that the professional league has gained enough success to expand.” Sophia Lin, ’26
The PWHL can be streamed on the league’s YouTube page or on their website. Make sure to tune in for the upcoming season and watch the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent play their first franchise games on November 21st.