PWHL Raises Minimum Salaries to $42,000 and Expands Rosters
The league and union agreed to add a player to each active roster and increase base pay over the next five years.
By Marco Kapoor ·
The Professional Women’s Hockey League and the PWHL Players Association reached a new deal on Thursday. The agreement increases the active roster size for every team by one player. It also raises minimum annual base salaries over the next five years.
The minimum base salary for the current season is now $42,000. This is an increase from approximately $38,000 last year. The salary will rise to $45,000 next year. It will then increase by $2,500 each year for the next three years. The cap will reach $52,500 in the 2030-31 season.
These figures exceed the 3% annual increase originally negotiated in 2023. At that time, players ratified the contract for a six-team league. The new terms reflect the league's growing popularity.
The changes align with the PWHL’s expansion to 12 teams. Four new franchises are joining for the fourth season, which starts on Dec. 5. Active rosters will grow to 24 players. Combined with the new teams, this creates 104 additional roster spots compared to last season.
The league is also changing how it handles reserve players. Teams will no longer carry up to three reserve players. Instead, they may sign athletes to one-game standard contracts. This option sits alongside the existing 10-day standard contracts.
Training camps open on Nov. 18. The league and union said they remain committed to advancing player opportunities and compensation. They stated this in a joint press release on Thursday.
