After years of playing for passion alone, women hockey stars are now cashing in via a combination of salaries, housing stipends, bonuses, and benefits.
💰 Player Salaries & CBA Structure
(Thanks to information from: Forbes, The Hockey News, Wikipedia, Reddit, Fansided, and others, our good friend ChatGPT and our agents were able to piece this together)
The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the PWHL and its Players Association (PWHLPA) was ratified in mid-2023 and runs through July 2031. Under the agreement:
-Teams must sign at least six players at $80,000/year. -They can have up to nine players at the league minimum, $35,000/year. -The target average salary per team is $55,000, with both minimum and average salaries increasing by 3% annually.
💵 Range of Salaries
-The minimum active-player salary is $35,000/year, rising gradually with cost-of-living adjustments. -Top players can earn significantly more — anecdotal reports suggest salaries up to $85,000— possibly more for standout players.
📌 Additional Earnings & Benefits
In lieu of a strict salary cap, the league mandates an average salary target of approximately $55,000 per team to manage overall payroll. Performance bonuses in the agreement: MVP awards ($5,000), positional awards ($4,000), and All-Star selections ($1,000–1,500). Players also receive monthly housing stipends ($1,500), relocation expenses, health and disability coverage, parental leave, and workers’ compensation protections.
🏒 Salary Cap Details
The PWHL does not enforce a per-player salary cap, but rather a team budget structure: During the league’s inaugural 2024 season, the team’s total is reported at around $1.265 million. For the 2025–26 season, the team salary cap is expected to increase to $1.34 million, per the PWHLPA vote to allow salary disclosure and cap transparency.
💸 Performance & Team Bonuses
The CBA includes structured bonuses beyond base salary: A championship-winning team bonus of $63,250 USD distributed among that team’s players, while other playoff contenders receive slightly less. Promotional appearances are compensated as well.
📈 Annual Increases & Broader Benefits
All of the above—base salary, per diem, housing stipend, and bonus structure—are subject to an automatic 3% annual increase as specified in the CBA through 2031. On top of housing and bonuses, players receive medical, dental, vision, life insurance (min. $55,000 USD), long-term disability coverage, workers’ compensation, parental leave, and access to a 401(k) plan starting in 2025.
Certainly, it’s a good start. But one has to wonder if the players will soon regret the length of the agreement (eight years). Rising attendance, in tandem with current and future expansion plans, all point to major revenue increases. Then again, a deposit in the bank, is worth two in the bush…or something like that.
