PWHL Raises Minimum Salary, Adds Roster Spots for 12-Team Season
The league and its union set a $42,000 salary floor for the 2026-27 season and increased active rosters to 24 players.
By Thomas Obasi ·
The PWHL and its players' union approved a contract amendment Thursday that raises minimum pay and adds roster spots as the league grows to 12 teams. Active rosters will rise to 24 players per team, a change that creates 104 additional roster spots compared with last season.
The minimum annual base salary for the season opening Dec. 5 is $42,000, up from about $38,000 last year. The figure moves to $45,000 next season, then increases by $2,500 per year through 2030-31, when it reaches $52,500. Those steps replace the 3% annual increases set when players ratified the agreement in July 2023 for a six-team league.
"The PWHL and PWHLPA remain committed to working collaboratively to advance player opportunities, compensation, and the continued growth of professional women's hockey," the two sides said in a joint press release.
Teams will no longer carry up to three reserve players. Under the new terms, clubs may sign players to one-game standard contracts alongside the existing 10-day standard contracts. Four new franchises join the league for its fourth season, and training camps open Nov. 18.
