The PWHL has reached a new milestone, drawing more than 1 million fans during the 2025/26 season, signaling unprecedented professional women's hockey league growth as the league enters its third Walter Cup playoffs.
The league welcomed 1,116,497 spectators across 120 regular season games. Average attendance jumped 28% over last season to 9,304 fans per game — up 71% over its inaugural run in 2024.
Two PWHL expansion franchises drove much of this season's women's professional hockey surge. The Seattle Torrent led all teams with 12,875 fans per game at Climate Pledge Arena, while the Vancouver Goldeneyes averaged 11,234 at Pacific Coliseum. Both clubs additionally generated the highest first-year merchandise revenue in PWHL history.
The league also capitalized on Olympic momentum after February's women's hockey tournament in Milan. Players from around the world returned to a thriving domestic competition, with the PWHL strategically scheduling its season around the Winter Games.
"We knew this moment was going to be big for us and felt that this could be a game changer," PWHL EVP Amy Scheer told The Athletic.
The league's Takeover Tour brought games to 16 neutral sites, drawing 200,000 fans across seven untapped markets. Madison Square Garden and Climate Pledge Arena both set new US attendance records with sellout crowds, while Detroit hosted the first PWHL game aired on national TV.
Digital engagement exploded alongside ticket sales. YouTube viewership climbed 77% with fans tuning in from 154 countries — up from 106 last season. In-person merchandise sales also doubled, while online purchases jumped 50%, with post-Olympics sales surging 190% over the same period in 2025.
The 2026 PWHL postseason field is set, as Ottawa joined No. 1 Montréal, No. 2 Boston, and two-time defending champion No. 3 Minnesota with Saturday’s 3-0 win over Toronto.
The Victoire earned the No. 1 overall seed after a six-round 2-1 shootout win over Seattle on Saturday, opting to face Minnesota in this week’s best-of-five semifinal series.
“[Results] going all the way to the very end on the last day, I think it speaks to the quality of every single team in this league,” said Montréal head coach Kori Cheverie.
Four teams qualify for the Walter Cup playoffs, with the No. 1 seed earning both home ice and first opponent choice advantage.
However, the lower seed has gone on to win all four of the third-year league’s previous semifinals — putting the Victoire and Fleet on watch.
The Frost will look to lean on star Kelly Pannek, after the forward finished the regular season as the PWHL’s Points and Goals Leader.
“I think the mindset is celebrating the wins of the regular season, the successes we’ve had,” said Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield on Saturday. “Now let’s turn the page, and the new season begins — and that’s playoff hockey. That’s the best hockey that there is.”
How to Watch the 2026 PWHL Playoffs
The Walter Cup playoffs kick off Thursday at 7 PM ET, live on YouTube.
Five-time Olympian Hilary Knight took the stage at last week's US Soccer's SheBelieves Summit in Seattle, fresh off a whirlwind two months that included winning Olympic gold, multiple TV appearances, and a PWHL season unlike any before.
Knight captained Team USA to an overtime victory against Canada in February's 2026 Olympic women's ice hockey final. The 36-year-old forward described the win as fueled by unwavering conviction.
"The level of conviction that we were going to win that game never wavered," Knight said during her keynote conversation with women's soccer icon Julie Foudy.
What followed Olympic glory proved equally extraordinary. Knight delivered the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, appeared on the Tonight Show, and attended the Academy Awards. Later, TIME Magazine named her one of its Most Influential People.
But Knight says the most meaningful post-Olympics experience has been returning to the PWHL with Seattle. The league launched three years ago and played its inaugural season in 2024. Knight and her Seattle teammates went on to set a US attendance record just last month, when more than 18,000 fans packed Madison Square Garden for the first pro women's hockey game at the iconic venue.
"What's so cool and unique now is after the Olympic Games, we get to play in a professional season and return to that," Knight said. "To finally have a league, the structure and the facility behind us, to be able to take those big moments by storm — it's so incredible."
The PWHL success mirrors hockey's growth across women's sports. Youth hockey registration has surged since the league's formation, Knight noted, as young players can now see a clear professional future.
"Seeing all these younger faces in the stands who understand that now they have a career path is pretty special," she told the SheBelieves Summit crowd.
As the 2025/26 PWHL regular season winds down, individual scoring records continue to fall in quick succession — with Hayley Scamurra driving the trend.
Just days after Vancouver’s Jenn Gardiner set the single-game scoring record with four goals against Seattle, the Team USA forward scored the fastest hat trick in league history in Montréal’s 4-3 defeat to the Goldeneyes.
The Olympic gold medalist scored her trio of third-period goals in just two minutes and 44 seconds — also becoming the league’s first player to register a hat trick in a losing effort.
Scamurra’s Victoire can afford the slip-up, sitting atop the PWHL standings heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale with its postseason ticket already punched.
Boston and defending champion Minnesota await Montréal in the 2026 PWHL playoffs, with Seattle, Vancouver, and New York eliminated from contention while Toronto and Ottawa battle for the fourth and final postseason slot.
“It will be like a playoff game before the playoffs,” Ottawa interim head coach Haley Irwin said of Saturday’s Decision Day. “The mindset, in terms of how we play and how we’re going to go about it doesn’t change.”
The PWHL’s Decision Day kicks off on Saturday at 12 PM ET, live on YouTube.
The 2026 PWHL playoffs are almost here, as the pro women's hockey league adds a unique twist to this year's Walter Cup race.
As the regular season wraps up this week, teams are battling for seeding. But unlike traditional pro hockey playoffs, the PWHL introduces a strategic wrinkle that adds another layer of drama.
How the PWHL Hockey Playoffs Work
The PWHL playoffs feature a streamlined, two-round format: a set of semifinals followed by the Walter Cup finals.
Four teams qualify for the postseason, with seeding determined by the final regular-season standings. But the biggest difference comes at the postseason's start.
In the PWHL, the No. 1 seed gets to choose its semifinal opponent between the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds — a rule unique to the league.
The format utilizes strategy, foments rivalries, and adds pressure before a single playoff game hits the ice, as teams weigh matchups instead of simply following a bracket.
Race to the 2026 Walter Cup Finals Intensifies
The push for the final playoff spots has remained tight late in the season, with multiple teams still in contention entering this week's final stretch.
That competitive balance reflects the league's growth. The PWHL continues to expand both its reach and visibility, with booming attendance following Team USA's gold medal-winning 2026 Winter Olympics campaign.
Now, that momentum carries into the postseason.
What to Expect in the PWHL Playoffs
With just two rounds, every postseason game matters.
The PWHL playoffs format rewards regular-season success. Finishing first not only secures the top seed, but also provides control over a team's path — a rare advantage in professional sports.
Once a champion is crowned, its name is engraved on the Walter Cup, with players and staff receiving championship rings to mark the achievement.
Recent history subsequently shows how unpredictable the postseason can be. Minnesota has won back-to-back titles in the league's first two seasons — yet each time the Frost entered as the No. 4 seed.
Vancouver forward Jenn Gardiner made PWHL history on Saturday, scoring four goals to lead the Goldeneyes to a dramatic 6-5 overtime victory over Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena.
Gardiner's performance set a new PWHL single-game scoring record. The 24-year-old also notched the PWHL expansion team's first-ever hat trick in front of 12,719 fans.
The lead changed three times during regulation. Vancouver tied the game at 5-5 with less than two seconds remaining in the third period, before Gardiner secured the overtime winner just 52 seconds into the extra frame.
Hannah Miller assisted on the winning goal while contributing two goals and two assists of her own. Either Gardiner or Miller factored into every Vancouver goal, with Sophie Jaques adding three assists for the Goldeneyes.
The victory completed a season-series sweep for Vancouver. The Goldeneyes finished 2-0-2-0 against fellow 2025/26 addition Seattle in their inaugural PWHL campaign.
Vancouver Misses 2026 PWHL Playoffs Despite Historic Win
However, the win couldn't save Vancouver's playoff hopes, as the Goldeneyes joined the already-eliminated Torrent outside the postseason picture. Both expansion teams now battle for prime draft positioning through the league's innovative Gold Plan initiative.
"I'm just proud of the group and how we came back and we kept believing," captain Ashton Bell said. "To see that line do so well was pretty cool to watch."
Seattle defenders led the Torrent's offensive charge. Anna Wilgren scored her first two goals with Seattle, while Cayla Barnes recorded her first career multi-point game with one goal and two assists after captain Hilary Knight opened the scoring.
Vancouver scored six goals for the first time in franchise history, as both teams combined for 11 goals and seven third-period tallies — new PWHL records.
The PWHL shattered another attendance record Saturday night, as 18,006 fans packed Madison Square Garden to witness the New York Sirens' 2-1 shootout win over the Seattle Torrent.
The sold-out crowd set a new US attendance benchmark for women's hockey, surpassing the previous high of 17,335 set at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena on February 27th. The milestone represents the fourth time the PWHL has broken the US record this season — and the eighth time since the league's 2024 debut.
"People ask if I'm surprised," said Torrent and Team USA captain Hilary Knight. "I'm not surprised that we sold out MSG. It's a testament to the caliber of play that we have, our fanbase, the product that we put together, and the work that we do when the lights aren't bright."
Sarah Fillier tied the game for New York with 3:45 remaining in regulation before scoring in the shootout. Defender Maja Nylén Persson netted the shootout winner while goaltender Kayle Osborne stopped 20 shots and four of five shootout attempts for her ninth win of the season.
Alex Carpenter scored Seattle's lone goal on a power play in the second period. The Torrent outshot New York 38-21 but fell short in the end.
The attendance figure ranks as the second-highest of the 2025/26 season and seventh-highest in PWHL history. New York completed a professional hockey sweep at Madison Square Garden after the NHL's Rangers defeated Detroit 4-1 earlier that day.
The victory keeps New York's playoff hopes alive as the Sirens trail fifth-place Ottawa by two points with five games remaining in the push for the final PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs spot.
Boston anticipates its own sellout at TD Garden next week, as the Fleet host Montreal in what should rank second in US attendance for the league.
Laila Edwards is preparing for the next step in her women’s ice hockey career, confirming that she’ll enter the PWHL draft after graduating from Wisconsin this year.
Edwards, a three-time NCAA champion with the Badgers, will graduate on May 9th with a 4.0 GPA and a degree in social welfare. As she recently told Good Morning America, going pro is now the plan, with the PWHL draft set for late June.
“Pro? That’s the plan,” Edwards said. “Entering the draft at the end of June.”
The forward has played a key role in the Badgers’ recent success, while also helping Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 22-year-old made history in Milan, when she became Team USA’s first Black woman goal-scorer in February’s 5-0 group-stage win over Canada. Opening up about her experience, Edwards pointed to the impact she hopes to have — both on and off the ice.
“I think representation matters, so to be that representation means the world,” she said. “That is the greatest reward, by far… the inspiration. It’s everything.”
Edwards also emphasized how she wants to be remembered as her career continues to develop.
“I’m super competitive. I love winning,” she said. “But I want to leave a legacy about who I was as a role model, a leader, and a person.”
Edwards is expected to be one of the top players to watch in the 2026 PWHL Draft — alongside fellow USA Hockey and Wisconsin teammate Caroline Harvey.
She also added that her long-term plans extend beyond hockey, pointing to a future focused on helping others.
“Whatever I’m going to do with that, I don’t know yet,” Edwards said of her Bachelor’s degree. “Just the idea of helping people who need help.”
Team USA hero Hilary Knight is back on the ice, returning to the PWHL for the first time since January after the Seattle Torrent removed the Olympic gold medalist from the team's long-term injured reserve list on Sunday.
Along with her second career gold and fifth overall Olympic medal, Knight also picked up a torn MCL in Milan last month, powering through the tournament before returning Stateside to rehab her knee.
The 36-year-old team captain returned to Seattle's top line in the Torrent's 2-0 Sunday loss to the Ottawa Charge, registering four shots on goal in just under 22 minutes of play.
Knight, who became Team USA's all-time Olympic goals and points leader in Milan, enters the final stretch of the 2025/26 PWHL season with three goals and seven assists on the Torrent's stat sheet.
While Seattle will be happy to have its captain back, the last-place PWHL expansion team is likely more focused on the draft than the playoffs, with the Torrent a full 11 points below the postseason line after racking up just 22 points through 23 games played.
How to watch Hilary Knight and the Seattle Torrent in PWHL action
Seattle's debut season has already made history, and Knight and her Torrent will make even more this weekend when they face off against the New York Sirens in the PWHL's first-ever game in Manhattan's legendary Madison Square Garden (MSG).
With Seattle holding a 2-1 record against New York, the MSG crowd will look to lift the Sirens to a win to even the series.
The Torrent will take on the Sirens in the iconic arena's first-ever ticketed pro women's hockey event at 8 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage streaming on YouTube.
The Seattle Torrent defeated the New York Sirens 4-1 on Wednesday night, with the hockey teams taking the ice at Allstate Arena as the PWHL surpassed the 2 million all-time attendance mark.
10,006 fans attended the game in Chicago, pushing the league's total attendance to 2,001,975 through 275 games since its January 2024 launch. As with many such attendance milestones, the feat was achieved during the 13th of this year's 16-game PWHL Takeover Tour.
Seattle dominated the first period with three goals. Theresa Schafzahl opened scoring with a wraparound at 10:33, before Danielle Serdachny made it 2-0 at 14:25, and Cayla Barnes scored on the power play at 19:34. The three first-period goals marked the most the 2025/26 PWHL expansion team has ever scored in a single period.
The Torrent snapped a four-game losing streak behind strong performances from their top line. Alex Carpenter, Schafzahl, and Serdachny combined for eight points, while goalie Corinne Schroeder stopped 29 shots in her first appearance against her former team.
Sarah Fillier cut New York's deficit to 3-1 nearly six minutes into the third period, before Carpenter restored the three-goal lead at 9:48 to seal the victory.
The win marks Seattle's second away victory this season.
New York has now lost five straight road games, sitting three points behind fifth-place Ottawa in the PWHL playoff race. Seattle now moves within two points of seventh-place Vancouver.
The fan-favorite hockey teams take the ice again this weekend, when the Sirens face Montréal in Detroit on Saturday while the Torrent host a Sunday showdown with Ottawa.