How much do PWHL players make
Women's professional hockey players now earn real salaries and the numbers keep climbing. The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) launched with a mission to pay athletes like professionals, not amateurs. If you're wondering how much do PWHL players make, you're about to learn that the answer is way better than it used to be. The average player earns $56,500 per year, while top stars pocket over $100,000 annually. This represents a massive shift for women's hockey.
What PWHL players actually earn
The PWHL salary structure rewards performance and experience while keeping things fair across teams. League minimum sits at $35,000, giving players a solid professional baseline. The average salary of $56,500 shows where most players land in the middle tier. Top earners break into six figures, with some contracts exceeding $125,000. (Pretty wild when you think about where women's hockey was just a few years ago.)
Ottawa Charge forward Emily Clark made history by signing a record-breaking deal worth over $125,000. Only about eight players currently earn more than $100,000 annually, creating an exclusive top tier. The league enforces a $1.3 million salary cap per team, preventing any single organization from hoarding talent. Each team must pay at least six players $80,000 or more, ensuring strong compensation across the roster.
How PWHL salaries compare to other hockey
PWHL salaries exceed minor professional men's leagues like the ECHL and SPHL, which typically pay $300 to $600 per week. Players in the AHL, the top minor league, earn somewhat more on average. The jump from previous women's leagues shows massive progress. The CWHL started with just a $100,000 team salary cap in 2017. Now individual players earn that amount alone.
Players gain benefits beyond salary too. The league covers healthcare costs and provides professional-level perks that weren't standard in earlier women's leagues. Connecticut Whale boasts multiple players earning over $100,000, demonstrating that elite talent commands premium pay.
These salary levels matter for women's hockey's future. When players earn enough to focus fully on their sport, performance improves. When young girls see professional athletes earning real money, more join the sport. The PWHL's investment in player compensation proves that women's hockey has arrived as a legitimate profesional league.
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