PWHL creates all-star event to showcase top talent in fourth season

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is set to showcase its talent during its fourth season by holding its first all-star event in Toronto on March 7.

The daylong event will feature four teams competing in a 3-on-3 tournament to be played at Scotiabank Arena, home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs, the league announced in a news conference held at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Thursday.

The addition of an all-star event comes four years after the PWHL was established as a six-team league, with this season set to open in late November/early December. And it follows a spring in which the league grew to 12 teams by adding expansion franchises in Detroit, Las Vegas, San Jose, Calif., and Hamilton, Ont.

“The PWHL was built to feature the best players in the world, and now fans will see the highest level of skill in women’s hockey showcased in a new and unique way,” said Jayna Hefford, the league’s executive VP of hockey operations.

By selecting Toronto, the PWHL returns to its modest beginnings. The league’s first game had Toronto hosting New York on Jan. 1, 2024, at the 2,500-seat Mattamy Athletic Centre. A month later, PWHL players took part in a 3-on-3 competition in Toronto as part of the NHL’s all-star weekend.

“Bringing the best players in the world together … speaks to how far this league has come in three years,” executive VP of business operations Amy Scheer said. “We can’t wait to return to Toronto, where our story began, and mark another important milestone in the evolution of the PWHL.

The all-star teams will feature 10-player rosters (six forwards, three defenders and a goalie). They’ll be split up by nationality – American, Canadian and international – and experience, rounded out by an all-rookie squad. The teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the second- and third-place teams playing in the semi-final round before facing the first-place finisher in the final.

Teams will be selected through a combination of fan, player and media voting, with the PWHL choosing reserve players.

Scripps Sports, the PWHL’s new U.S. national broadcast partner, will air the games on Ion across the U.S.