Minnesota Whitecaps’ future unclear as new women’s pro hockey league forms
A new women's professional hockey league was born Friday, when investors affiliated with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) bought the assets of a rival league. But it was unclear whether Minnesota will be part of it.
Leaders of the new league, which does not yet have a name, announced it will launch in January. Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and his wife, Kimbra, will fund it, and tennis icon Billie Jean King is among the members of its governing board. The Walters bought the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), whose seven teams include the Minnesota Whitecaps.
Friday's announcement did not say how many teams will be in the new league or where they will be located. The Whitecaps, whose history dates to 2004, joined the PHF — formerly known as the National Women's Hockey League — in 2018 and won the league championship in 2019. They made the final last spring for the third time in four seasons.
For the past several years, women's professional hockey has been divided into two factions. The PWHPA included members of the U.S. and Canadian national teams, some of whom played in the NWHL before a surprise pay cut led them to form their own group in 2019. The NWHL began in 2015, changed its name to PHF in 2021 and has increased its salaries and sponsorships in recent years, raising its teams' salary cap to $1.5 million for 2023-24.
The announcement did not address the future of PHF teams. Several media outlets reported that all player contracts have been terminated and the league will end operations, and that the new league will include three teams in the U.S. and three in Canada.
The new arrangement creates a single league and was hailed by representatives of both the PWHPA and PHF as a landmark for the women's pro game.
"This effort is the most significant development in our game since women's ice hockey became an Olympic sport 25 years ago," PHF Commissioner Regan Carey said in a news release. "Players, fans, past pioneers, and future generations deserve to see the best athletes come together to elevate professional women's hockey as never before.''
In the news release, Jayna Hefford, head of the PWHPA, called the agreement "unlike anything we have seen in women's hockey,'' while King said it is "an extraordinary opportunity to advance women's sports.''
The Whitecaps organization was founded by Jack Brodt of Roseville and was sold in 2021 to California-based NLTT Hockey Ventures, LLC. They played their home games last season at Richfield Ice Arena.
Brodt told the Star Tribune that he believes the new league will include a Minnesota team, given the local fan base for women's hockey. The PWHPA also has a Minnesota presence, as one of the six cities in which its players trained.
He said he has mixed feelings about the move to a single league. Between the PWHPA and the PHF, there currently are 11 women's pro teams. While Brodt thinks consolidation will be good for the game in many ways, he said the fact that the new league will probably have fewer teams means that opportunities will decrease.
"It doesn't make any sense to have two separate leagues,'' Brodt said. "On the other hand, if you're going from 11 teams back to six, it's probably going to affect between 80 and 120 players who want to continue to play.
"It might be good for the top-end people, but for some very, very good players, it's probably going to end their career.''
The announcement Friday said the new league has spent months negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the PWHPA. But the end of the PHF, which includes many players with Minnesota ties, would void the most lucrative contracts in that league's history.
During the free-agency period that began in April, several players signed contracts that could pay six figures annually. The Whitecaps roster includes former Gophers goalie Amanda Leveille, who signed a one-year deal worth $62,500, and Mound native Liz Schepers, whose two-year deal includes a total base salary of $150,000 and bonuses worth $74,500.
The new league is backed by deep pockets and big names. Walter is the controlling owner of the Dodgers and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. He also has ownership stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chelsea Football Club of soccer's Premier League.
