Other good news is that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the NHL has agreed to provide a larger financial contribution to the NWHL. The league will now be one of the NWHL’s biggest sponsors.

Previously, the NHL gave the NWHL and CWHL $50 thousand each. TSN says that number will increase to $100 thousand for the NWHL. Dani Rylan, NWHL commissioner, has refused to disclose any official financial information.

There might be more teams included in the expansion in the near future, but no official announcements have been made.

Rylan is unsure of whether the NWHL will absorb the already-existing franchises or create new ones.

The NWHL will now be a seven-team league, with the other teams being the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps.

On Sunday, the Minnesota Whitecaps hosted the Buffalo Beauts in the 2019 Isobel Cup final at TRIA Rink. With home ice advantage and the top seed in the playoffs, Minnesota defeated the defending champion Metropolitan Riveters in the semi-final on Friday.

Late in the opening frame, Buffalo drew first blood on a goal from defender Emily Pfalzer. It was her second goal and third point of the playoffs, but it was not long until the Whitecaps responded. Less than two minutes later, Minnesota forward Amy Menke sniped the puck past Beauts goaltender Nicole Hensley and knotted the game 1-1.

Although Buffalo outshot Minnesota 8-5 in the first period, the Whitecaps would strike back by outshooting the Beauts 13-8 in the middle frame. By the end of regulation, Minnesota had outshot Buffalo by a total of 30-23. Both Hensley and Whitecaps goaltender Amanda Leveille were perfect in the final 40 minutes, resulting in overtime.

A mere 49 seconds into overtime, a point shot by Minnesota defender Lee Stecklein found its way through, beating goaltender Hensley and clinching an Isobel Cup victory for the Whitecaps. Following the team’s on-ice celebration, Stecklein was named the most valuable player of the NWHL playoffs, picking up two points in the final.

This is Minnesota’s second championship, as they won the Clarkson Cup in 2010 competing in the Western Women’s Hockey League. The Beauts have now competed in all four Isobel Cup final games, winning one in 2017. Since first being awarded in 2016, the NWHL has seen a different Isobel Cup champion each and every year.

The most recent weekend of action in the NWHL saw the conclusion of the 2018-19 regular season. On Saturday, the Buffalo Beauts visited the Connecticut Whale, while the Boston Pride hosted the Minnesota Whitecaps. As for Sunday’s matchups, the Whitecaps travelled to Stamford to take on the Whale and the Metropolitan Riveters finished their season at home against the Beauts.

Buffalo was dominant in their 5-2 victory over the Whale. They won with contributions from five different goal scorers: Annika Zalewski, Taylor Accursi, Julianna Iafallo, Corinne Buie and Kelly Babstock. Connecticut scored twice in the third period after five unanswered goals by the Beauts, but it was too little and too late.

In Saturday’s second game, Boston and Minnesota played an extremely tight game. Whitecaps forward Kendall Coyne Schofield opened the scoring early in the final frame, but Pride forward Haley Skarupa knotted the game less than four minutes later. It appeared to be heading for overtime until Whitecaps rookie Jonna Curtis scored the game-winning goal, securing a 2-1 win for Minnesota.

The Whitecaps carried their momentum into Sunday’s matchup against the Whale, with Allie Thunstrom opening the game’s scoring for Minnesota. Whitecaps forward Lauren Barnes scored a pair in the middle frame, while Whale forward Emily Fluke got her team on the board. The Whitecaps headed into the third period with a 3-1 lead, but their victory was capped off by an empty net goal from Coyne Schofield.

In the final game Sunday the Beauts outshot the Riveters 43-17, however, ended up losing the game in a shootout. Buffalo forward Buie scored 22 seconds into the game and Maddie Elia added to their lead early in the second period, but goals from Amanda Kessel and Madison Packer tied the game 2-2 heading into the final period of regulation.

On the power play, Riveters forward Rebecca Russo scored to pull her team ahead late in the third period. With under two minutes left, Beauts forward Hayley Scamurra got the equalizer to force overtime. The game eventually went to a shootout, where Riveters forward Miye D’Oench scored the winner and goaltender Katie Fitzgerald stopped Accursi’s attempt to extend the shootout. With the loss, the Beauts miss out on the postseason’s number one seed.

With the regular season all wrapped up, the Isobel Cup playoffs are set to begin this week. The Riveters will have home ice advantage against the Whale in the play-in game on March 7, with the winner moving on to play the Whitecaps on March 10. The second-seeded Beauts will host the third-seeded Pride on March 9.

It appears to be a three-horse race for the Isobel Cup this year, especially with only a two-point gap separating the first and third seeds in the postseason. While both the Riveters and the Whale seem less likely to win it all this year, there’s no doubting that anything can happen in a single-elimination playoff format.

On May 26^t, during the men’s World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, Hayley Wickenheiser will be the fourth woman to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

After retiring in 2016, Wickenheiser has had an incredible 22-year IIHF career that started at the young age of 12 when she played for the U18 Team Alberta at the Canada Winter Games. Not only did she compete against girls six years her senior, she was named the finals MVP — one of the first of a long list of accomplishments.

Wickenheiser started playing for Team Canada at the age of 15, and since then has cemented herself as a true superstar. Not only was she the captain from 2006-2013, Wickenheiser’s four Olympic golds contribute to her 13 total medals – more than any other women. She was also named Olympic MVP twice in her career. Who holds the record for all-time leader in scoring for the Olympics? Hayley again, with 51 points in 26 games. She also holds the same record for the women’s World Championships with a stunning 86 points in 61 games. In fact, with 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games, she is Canada’s all-time leading scorer. Her five winter Olympic appearances are unmatched by any other athlete.

Aside from Wickenheiser’s extensive Olympic success, she had also won seven World Championships, an NWHL Championship, three WWHL titles, one CIS National Championship, and a Clarkson Cup with the Calgary Inferno. She was also the first woman to ever score in a men’s professional league during her time in Finland.

Not only has Hayley had a huge impact during her playing career, her success off the ice cannot be ignored. In 2010, she was named the IIHF’s lead player ambassador for women’s hockey and has changed the game for so many young girls. Wickenheiser has traveled the globe to promote gender equality in hockey, and even has her own annual hockey festival called Wickfest.

She was named to the IOC’s athletic commission in 2014, and just this past summer was making headlines when the Toronto Maples Leafs hired her as their new assistant director of player development.

30 years ago, there was no women’s team in Calgary for Wickenheiser to play on. However, she still became one of the most decorated athletes of all time and has significantly contributed to the development of the game on and off the ice. You simply cannot look at the growing success of women’s hockey today and not feel gratitude towards Hayley Wickenheiser.

The NWHL’s top players treated hockey fans in Nashville to an entertaining weekend, including the Skills Challenge at Ford Ice Center on Feb. 9 and the All-Star Game at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 10. A sold out crowd witnessed the impressive skills competition, while a record attendance of 6,120 enjoyed the weekend’s main event.

In addition to the thousands of attending fans, both events were streamed live on Twitter. Over the entire weekend, a combined viewership of nearly one million people tuned in for the pair of events. The teams were led by captains Shannon Szabados, goaltender of the Buffalo Beauts, and Minnesota Whitecaps defender Lee Stecklein.

During the Skills Challenge, in what was likely the most anticipated performance, Kendall Coyne Schofield won the fastest skater competition with a time of 13.9 seconds. This beat her own time at the NHL skills competition two weeks earlier. Beauts goalie Nicole Hensley edged out her teammate Szabados in the event for fastest goaltender.

Beauts forward Dani Cameranesi was the event’s most accurate shooter, while her teammate and defender Blake Bolden won the hardest shot competition at 80 mph. Fans voted on the Trick Shot Challenge, giving the win to Team Szabados for pulling off the Mighty Ducks’ “Flying V” tactic.

Team Stecklein took the Go for Goal Shootout Relay, knotting the competition at 3-3 and forcing a tiebreaker. Captain and goalie Szabados stopped two breakaway shots against captain Stecklein, giving Team Szabados the victory in the Skills Challenge.

At the All-Star Game, Team Szabados were in control during the first half, outshooting Team Stecklein 16-12. At the midway point of the opening half, Metropolitan Riveters forward Audra Richards scored to put Team Szabados ahead 1-0. About three minutes later, Connecticut Whale forward Katerina Mrázová extended her team’s lead to 2-0.

However, Team Stecklein pushed back in the second half and dominated for the most part. Beauts defender Lisa Chesson scored 55 seconds into the second half, cutting Team Szabados’ lead in half. Whale forward Emily Fluke later tied the game, forcing a shootout. Riveters star forward Amanda Kessel scored the lone shootout goal, giving Team Szabados a 3-2 victory.

Although Team Szabados left Nashville with a sweep of the all-star festivities, this event was not about winning. It was truly about growing women’s hockey and inspiring the next generation of female hockey players. Throughout the course of these two events, the NWHL All-Star weekend was successful in contributing to this ongoing process.

The NHL had its all-star festivities this past weekend, but the biggest story was the impressive performances by several female hockey players. While those who have paid attention to the CWHL and NWHL know the skill level of these players, the NHL’s event provided an opportunity for women’s hockey to showcase its talent to a wider audience.

In front of thousands of hockey fans in San Jose, as well as those watching at home in Canada and the United States, a pair of U.S. Olympic gold medalists, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Brianna Decker, stole the show. Rebecca Johnston and Renata Fast also participated in the skills competition, demonstrating the various events for those in attendance.

Coyne Schofield, a member of the NWHL’s Minnesota Whitecaps, became the first woman to compete in the NHL skills competition. Taking part in the fastest skater event, Coyne Schofield finished with a time of 14.346 seconds. In doing so, she showed the speed of the women’s game is right on par with the men’s game. She was only one second behind Connor McDavid.  

Calgary Inferno forward, Brianna Decker, demonstrated the passing competition, but did not compete in the racing rounds. Although her time was not recorded and had not been shown on live television, her unofficial time of 1:06 was faster than any of the NHL players. This sparked a #PayDecker campaign on social media, as fans believed Decker should receive the $25,000 prize money for finishing with the fastest time. CCM Hockey stepped up and gave the amount to Decker, while the NHL donated $25,000 to charity in each of Decker, Coyne Schofield, Johnston and Fast’s names and of their respective choosing.

It’s great to see that female hockey players got the recognition and appreciation they’ve deserved for quite some time, but this event should be considered only the beginning of growing women’s hockey. For all the women and young girls watching in the stands or at home, it was a reminder that they can absolutely pursue their dreams in hockey.

The NWHL finished off 2018 with their two-day draft from December 20-21^st. The first two rounds included notable Olympians and NCAA athletes.

Annie Pankowski (F) was the first overall pick, selected by the Metropolitan Riveters. At the time of the draft she was the leading goal scorer for the Wisconsin Badgers, and serves as one of their co-captains. Pankowski also plays for the U.S. national team.

Second overall, selected by Connecticut Whale, was Melissa Samoskevich (F), who also plays for the U.S. national team. Samoskevich is currently playing for Quinnipac.

The remaining picks in the first round included Megan Keller (D) to the Buffalo Beauts, Kelly Pannek (F) to the Minnesota Whitecaps, and Kali Flanagan (D) to the Boston Pride. All three won gold in Pyeongchang with the U.S. Olympic team.

Round two brought Kendall Cornine (F) to the Riveters; Makenna Newkirk (F) to the Whale; Loren Gabel (F) to the Beauts; Sophia Shaver (F), co-captain with first overall Pankowski, to the Whitecaps; and Bailey Larson (F) to the Pride.

The draft consisted of five rounds total, with 25 players selected. Only athletes in their final year of college eligibility were selected, and the order was determined by current league standings.

Calgary Inferno: overcome head coach’s resignation

In a surprising turn of events, head coach Shannon Miller resigned on Dec. 6^th. Despite a very strong record this season, the Inferno’s bench boss stepped down, leaving a vacant position and forcing assistant coaches Ryan Hilderman and Becky McGee to fill the void. This is an extremely talented team and their results haven’t been impacted yet, but we’ll see if Miller’s departure has any long-term implications in 2019.

Les Canadiennes de Montréal: also overcome head coach’s resignation

Dany Brunet stepped down as head coach of Les Canadiennes on Nov. 24^th, which had an immediate impact on the team. They lost a pair of games against the Inferno, but rebounded with five consecutive victories, including a three-game sweep during their road trip in China. It’s difficult to find a specific area where the CWHL’s top two teams can improve, but mid-season coaching changes may have an effect at some point.

Markham Thunder: stay out of the penalty box

With a total of 160 penalty minutes, the Thunder are atop the league in an infamous category. Their tendency to take penalties quite frequently has likely contributed to the amount of shots on goal they’ve allowed, which is approximately 31 per game. If Markham wishes to compete with the Inferno or Les Canadiennes, they need reduce the amount of penalties taken and the number of shots against.

Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays: reduce shots against on Noora Raty

Goaltenders Raty and rookie Kimberly Newell have split most the time this season, but they have allowed considerably more shots against with Raty in goal compared to Newell. Raty faces an average of 29 shots per game, whereas Newell only sees about 14 shots per game. Raty’s 0.908 save percentage this season isn’t on par with her standards, but the team’s play in front of her could certainly be better in 2019.

Toronto Furies: an increase in secondary scoring

Aside from Natalie Spooner’s ten goals and 18 points, as well as Sarah Nurse’s nine goals and 17 points, the Furies aren’t generating enough offensively to be a top team in the CWHL. They still have a decent chance to qualify for the Clarkson Cup playoffs, but others will need to step up down the stretch. Rookie goalie Shea Tiley has a decent 0.911 save percentage, meaning it is clear that much of their problems are up front.

Worcester Blades: stay the course with their rebuilding process

The Blades are 0-17 on the season and almost certainly will finish in the league’s basement, but this was entirely intentional. As a rebuilding franchise with a number of rookies on their roster, Worcester was expecting a painful season in 2018-19. It would be great to see them become a bit more competitive and perhaps even win a game in 2019, but they’re looking at the bigger picture.

Boston Pride: slight improvement in goaltending

Boston’s starting goalie Katie Burt hasn’t performed poorly this season, but her 0.913 save percentage isn’t overly impressive and is quite average. The Pride are a dominant team across the board and their only glaring weakness is goaltending, which isn’t all that bad. For a team that is undoubtedly a favourite for the Isobel Cup, the idea of one poor performance in goal being their downfall during the playoffs is concerning.

Buffalo Beauts: find the back of the net more frequently

They’ve been excellent defensively, with goaltenders Shannon Szabados and Nicole Hensley performing very well, but the Beauts have struggled to score goals. Their 5-4 record is underwhelming for a team with high expectations this season, much of which is a result of an average offence. One of the ways they can increase their offensive output is on the power play, which has only converted on 11.1% of its opportunities.

Connecticut Whale: starting and finishing games

Although the Whale have outscored their opponents 6-3 in second periods, the team has been outplayed significantly in first and third periods. They trail by a total of 9-3 in first periods and 10-3 in third periods, indicating they have a difficult time starting and finishing games. If they can work on and improve their starts and finishes in 2019, the Whale could see an improvement by season’s end.

Metropolitan Riveters: work on special teams

As the defending Isobel Cup champions, it has been a major disappointment for the Riveters in 2018-19. Their 2-8 record indicates that they’ll likely be featured in the NWHL’s play-in game for the playoffs, which is the first time it will occur in the recently expanded league. The Riveters don’t look impressive anywhere statistically, but their power play converting at 5.4% and penalty kill success rate of 85.7% needs work.

Minnesota Whitecaps: increase offensive output

In their inaugural season, the Whitecaps opened 2018-19 with five straight wins and are currently 7-3, sitting atop the league standings. However, their +2 goal differential pales in comparison to the Pride and Beauts’. They’re averaging less than three goals per game and are only capitalizing on 5.4% of their power plays. If they hope to compete with Boston and Buffalo, they’ll need to score more frequently in 2019.

CWHL: five teams competing for four spots

Aside from the Worcester Blades and their 0-17 record, five of the CWHL’s teams have a legitimate chance to qualify for the Clarkson Cup playoffs. While the Blades sacrificed this season for their rebuilding process, the rest of the league is looking to win now. However, two teams have separated themselves from the pack considerably.

The Calgary Inferno sit atop the CWHL standings and boast a record of 13-2-1, closely followed by Les Canadiennes de Montréal. There is currently a three-point gap between the two teams, but Les Canadiennes have one game in hand and can move to within one point of the Inferno. Both have been dominant and are likely co-favourites for the Clarkson Cup in 2018-19.

A tier below the CWHL’s super teams is the defending Clarkson Cup champion Markham Thunder. They hold a 9-6-2 record and sit in the middle of the league’s playoff contenders. The Thunder will look to repeat last year’s magical run, which saw them sweep Les Canadiennes in the semi-finals’ best-of-three series and defeat the Kunlun Red Star in the final.

The Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays hold the fourth and final playoff spot with 15 points, but they have the Toronto Furies to contend with. The Furies sit one point back and have one game in hand, giving them an opportunity to take the fourth seed. After failing to qualify in 2017-18, Toronto looks to make their post-season return.

The Worcester Blades are out of the running for playoffs after finishing 0-17. They sacrificed wins this season for a rebuilding process.

CWHL action resumes on Jan. 5^th, starting with the Furies and Les Canadiennes facing off in Montréal. The KRS Vanke Rays begin their tour of North America in Worcester by visiting the Blades, whereas the Thunder will host the top-seeded Inferno.

NWHL: three spots and a play-in game for the fourth

Following the NWHL’s expansion from four teams to five, the league also decided to make a slight alteration to their playoff format. For the 2018-19 season, the top three teams will automatically qualify for the Isobel Cup playoffs, while the bottom two teams will compete in a single-game matchup to decide the league’s fourth seed.

Two teams in a comfortable position are the Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps, each with 12 points and 6-2 records thus far. Minnesota has lost their two previous games after a 6-0 start, cooling off slightly heading into the break. Boston, on the other hand, has won three straight and appear to have hit their stride.

The Buffalo Beauts currently sit third in the NWHL with eight points, but also have one game in hand on the Pride and Whitecaps. Since the league’s inaugural season in 2015-16, the Beauts have been featured in every Isobel Cup final. While their record is not as impressive as the Pride or Whitecaps’, Buffalo is talented enough to compete with the best.

At the bottom of the NWHL’s standings include the Connecticut Whale with five points, as well as the defending Isobel Cup champion Metropolitan Riveters with four points. The Riveters have struggled immensely this season and appear destined to be featured in the play-in game, whereas the Whale will be their most likely opponent.
The NWHL re-commences on Dec. 29^th when the Whitecaps visit the Beauts at KeyBank Center, while the Whale host the Pride on Dec. 30^th. On Jan. 6^th, the Riveters return to the ice in Connecticut for a potential preview of the Isobel Cup play-in game.

As the defending Isobel Cup champions, there were high expectations for the Metropolitan Riveters this season. However, the team got off to a 0-5 start and dug themselves a deep hole. With a 2-8 record heading into the NWHL’s holiday break, the Riveters should be looking forward to a fresh start in the New Year.

In the Riveters’ most recent action on Sunday, they suffered a 5-2 loss on home ice against the Boston Pride. Their only two wins this season came on Oct. 27^th and Nov. 25^th, which were a 3-2 win over the Pride and a 4-3 victory against the Connecticut Whale, respectively. Aside from that, it really hasn’t gone their way this season.

Much of the team’s struggles could be a result of below average goaltending, with uncharacteristic stats next to Katie Fitzgerald’s name. In her sophomore season with the Riveters in 2017-18, Fitzgerald boasted a 0.920 save percentage. She was also lights out in the playoffs, posting two shutouts en route to an Isobel Cup championship.

Now playing in her third season in the NWHL, Fitzgerald holds a record of 1-7 and her save percentage has fallen to 0.861 in 2018-19. Backup goaltender Kimberly Sass earned a win in her first start of the season on Nov. 25^th against the Whale, but then allowed four goals in the team’s most recent loss to the Pride on Dec. 9^th.

Despite subpar performances from their goaltenders, the team in front of Fitzgerald and Sass hasn’t given them much help. On average, the Riveters are allowing 27.9 shots on goal per game, but it isn’t simply about the quantity. As a team, the Riveters are prone to defensive zone mistakes and give up high quality scoring chances too often.

The Riveters have also found it difficult to put the puck in the net, both at five-on-five and on the power play. They’re averaging less than two goals per game, while the power play is only converting on 5.4% of its opportunities. Rookie forward Audra Richards leads the way with six goals, followed by Madison Packer’s four goals on the season. Amanda Kessel currently has seven assists and eight points, whereas Rebecca Russo has collected five points this season.

It’s fair to say that injuries have been a major factor, with forward Miye D’Oench missing the opening six games and defender Courtney Burke’s absence for four games to begin the season.

Along with the injury bug, another likely reason for the Riveters’ surprising position in the standings is their coaching change. The hiring of Randy Velischek came just a little over two weeks before their season opener, an indicator of their lack of preparation. This transition between coaches has shown in their play on the ice and the results.

Not one single person is to blame for the Riveters’ struggles this season, as there have been a number of factors off the ice that led to this point. It has been an accumulation of various problems and it’s ultimately an issue that can only be fixed through a collective effort. The Riveters return to the ice on Jan. 6^th when they face off against the Whale.