Uncertainty and excitement: PWHL hopefuls eager to begin new chapter of women's game

When Brittany Howard decided to turn pro, there was little suspense around where she was going to play.

The St. Thomas, Ont., native was planning to start an education degree at York University, so it made sense for her to play close to school, with the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL).

"You had to continue your education or you had to get a job because you still had to work while you played," said Howard, who played one season with the Furies before the CWHL shut down in 2019.

On Monday, Howard could hear her name called by any of the six teams at the inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) draft.

The PWHL draft will take place on Monday in downtown Toronto at CBC headquarters. Live streaming coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem. It will also be available on radio-canada.ca/sports and the Radio-Canada info app, and for international audiences on CBC Sports' and Radio-Canada's YouTube pages.

It's a pivotal moment in the growth of women's hockey, where many players have traditionally played in markets where they already had ties and second jobs, because hockey didn't pay their bills.

Howard balances training with her summer hockey school and working as a teacher during the academic year.

Earlier this year, Howard signed a two-year contract with the Premier Hockey Federation's Boston Pride after a great first PHF campaign with the Toronto Six. Howard displayed her skill, accumulating 26 points in 20 regular season games en route to the team's Isobel Cup win.

But her plans to play for the Pride changed in June, when she found out the PHF had been sold and would be shut down.

"There's been highs and lows throughout the last couple months," she said. "But I think all women's hockey players, past, current and upcoming, are excited for the growth in the game and the longevity that this league is going to have."

The PWHL officially launched last month with teams in six markets: Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Minnesota, New York and Boston. 

The six teams' general managers have had a busy first few weeks on the job. Each team was allowed to sign three free agents, taking high-profile players like Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse and Hilary Knight off the market.

Now, their focus has shifted to the draft, where a pool of 268 players who declared will be eligible to be chosen. Each general manager will pick 15 players as they build out their rosters ahead of a scheduled January 2024 puck drop.

Knight, who signed to play in Boston, said it's been a transformative time for many players.