How Much Do PWHL Players Make?

How much do professional women hockey players earn in Canada? A recent leak published by The Hockey News answers that question in detail.

According to the outlet, the majority of the PWHL’s players for the 2024-25 season netted less than the league average salary of $56,650 while more than 45 percent of players across the league made $40,000 or less.

A small percentage of players made the top-end of the pay scale, netting out near or slightly above the six-figure mark while reserve players were paid $15,000.

The PWHL makes its average salaries public, but the Hockey News leak offers an exact breakdown of who gets paid how much and for which team—information that has previously only been available to players and agents. (The news outlet says it received the data "through sources involved in the PWHL.")

The information becoming public, though likely unappreciated by many players, may have a bright side: PWHL Players Association president Laura Stacey told The Canadian Press that it could help players negotiate better paid contracts across the league.

A similar move by the NHL in the ’90s appears to boost the idea that more salary transparency can only improve the chances of better rates for professional women players as the league’s success grows.

And the league is growing.

Now in its third year, the PWHL has gone from strength to strength since it started in 2023. This month, games in New York’s Madison Square Gardens and Boston’s TD Centre sold out.

And after adding the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent to its U.S. and Canada teams roster this year, there are rumblings it could expand even further, going from the current eight teams—split evenly between the U.S. and Canada—to as many as 12.