NWHL Primer 2021: PART ONE
in 2018-2019 I made this primer halfway through the season and last year I made this for 2019-2020. Since then there’s been some changes to the league and the entire world, so I’ll do a refresher on some stuff, FAQS go over what’s new.
This part will be primarily general league and rule information. Part Two will be information on each team / roster in depth.
This will also be updated in the case of any changes / news / updates!
When is the season happening? What’s the Covid Situation.
Season will start January 2020
Each team will play 20 regular season games
All star game after the final
While there’s no official decision yet, they are prepared to play without fans if needed
Official practices start in October
Subject to change, and more can be read about the safety committee and the NWHLPA’s response here
Who’s Playing? Where can I watch? When and where do they play?
All NWHL games are free on Twitch.tv/nwhl or twitch.tv/nwhl2 with last season’s games available to watch in full or in highlights via the clip feature. You can also rewatch some of the earlier seasons games on the NWHL’s youtube.
Almost all NWHL games are on weekends or holidays, taking place usually Saturday and Sunday afternoons and Saturday nights in EST or CST.
Basic info and social media of teams are as follows (we’ll do a deep dive later.) Rinks are subject to change over the next few months and I’ll update this post if they do.
Boston Pride play at Warriors Arena in Boston, Massachusetts (specifically the Allston area.) This is their twitter, instagram, facebook. They are one of the founding teams that will be entering their six season and won the first ever Isobel Cup.
Buffalo Beauts play at Northtown Center in Amherst, NY. This is their twitter, instagram, facebook, youtube. They are a founding team entering their sixth season. They won the Isobel cup in season two.
Connecticut Whale play at Danbury Arena in Danbury, CT. This is their twitter, instagram, facebook. They are a founding team entering their sixth season and haven’t won a cup yet.
Metropolitan Riveters play at Montclair State University Ice Arena in Little Falls, NJ, (Approximately 20 minutes north of Newark) although it hasn’t been officially announced yet. This is their twitter, instagram, facebook, youtube. They are a founding team and won the cup in season three.
Minnesota Whitecaps play at Tria Rink in St. Paul, Minnesota. This is their twitter, instagram, youtube, facebook. This will be their third season. They have one Isobel cup, the most recent one awarded in 2019.
Toronto Six have not announced their arena as they are entering their first season in the NWHL. Stay tuned for updates at their twitter, instagram, facebook, youtube. They also have a linktree that includes spotify and a newsletter.
Expect signings to happen on and off until January, especially as players life situation change. You can keep up with the Ice Gardens signing tracker. I’ll also possibly add to this post closer to the season start. They also have their own NWHL beginners guide, if video is better.
What’s the Format? What differs from the NHL or the NCAA?
Two points for each win, one for overtime loss
Same three, twenty minute periods, with five minute overtimes and shootouts in the regular season. However, due to being livestreamed, there are less commercials, meaning games are usually a little faster.
17 players dress for a game: 9 forwards for 3 forward lines, 6 defenders for 3 defense pairs, and two goaltenders.
However, you can sign up to 25 players, and as there’s no “ahl” type equivalent to call up from, most teams like to have players on reserve.
Body checking, but not body contact, is illegal. The difference between the two is subtle. USA hockey defines body contact as ““Contact that occurs between opponents during the normal process of playing the puck, provided there has been no overt hip, shoulder or arm contact to physically force the opponent off of the puck.” Most players are happy with this. Here are some examples
Fighting is an automatic ejection and game suspension. However, it still happens.
Playoff games are one off elimination games
How many teams make the playoffs isn’t clear now due to the expansion, but expect it either to be the top four OR all teams
Player trades typically do not happen in the current NWHL, as most players have full time jobs outside the NWHL and can’t afford to move their life. If it happens, it’s usually by request.
Also due to the NWHL not being a full time job, player contracts are only a year long.
When games are in person, players sign autographs after. That will probably be put on hold due to covid
Most of the league develops in NCAA or Canada’s USports program and only join the NWHL after completing four years of college, with occasional exceptions to international players.
After the NCAA season is finished in March, some players may sign to help a NWHL team in the playoffs.
As of last year, players could also sign “professional try outs” if they joined mid season and the team wanted to look at them. This is usually one to two games before the player is either released or signed to a full season contract.
Seasons are usually structured so that no games are played during International Ice Hockey competitions like Women’s Four Nation’s Cup in November or the Women’s World Championships in April. Once again, how this will change with Covid is unclear and will depend a lot on what the IIHF does.
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