The 2021–22 PHF season was the seventh season of the

Premier Hockey Federation The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was a women's professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from March 2015 until June 2023. The league was established in 2015 as the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), com ...

(PHF), which was known as the National Women's Hockey League during the previous six seasons, in North America. After mostly playing in a bubble environment the previous season due to the on-going

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the PHF commenced the 2021–22 season with a normal travel-based schedule.

League business

Following the 2021 Isobel Cup Finals, Lisa Haley was appointed as the league's vice president of hockey operations. On April 28, 2021, the league announced that it was planning to double the salary cap of every franchise to $300,000, based on projections of financial stability for the seventh season. On September 7, 2021, it was announced that the league would be renamed from the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) to the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). On February 23, 2022, the league announced that all teams were allowed to sign one additional player for the remainder of the season and spend an additional $10,000 above the current $300,000 salary cap. Additionally, all clubs would also be allowed to dress 18 skaters per game, up from 17 for the rest of the 2021–22 season.

Expansion

Plans for an expansion team in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, for the seventh season were delayed. Boston Pride president Miles Arnone, a member of the BTM Group, the group behind establishing the expansion club, confirmed the league announcement. With concerns over the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the earliest season for an expansion team in Montreal would be 2022–23.

Team ownership

On May 10, the NWHL announced the sale and transfer of ownership of the Connecticut Whale to Shared Hockey Enterprises (SHE), LLC, led by Tobin Kelly. The Whale became the first of the four founding teams to be sold to outside ownership after the league's October 2020 announcement of its transition to joint venture models. The

Metropolitan Riveters The Metropolitan Riveters (originally the New York Riveters) were a professional women's ice hockey team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with home games at the American Dream Meadowlands ice rink. They were one of the four charter franc ...

then were sold to BTM Partners on May 26, giving them control of three of the league's six franchises. A transfer of ownership from W Hockey Partners, the new ownership installed John Boynton to serve as the Riveters' chairman. The NWHL finished selling its league operated teams to independent ownership with the sale of the

Buffalo Beauts The Buffalo Beauts were a professional ice hockey team in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). They played in Amherst, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, at the Northtown Center. The Beauts were established in 2015 as one of the four founding f ...

and

Minnesota Whitecaps The Minnesota Whitecaps were a professional ice hockey team in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). They played in Richfield, Minnesota, part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, at the Richfield Ice Arena. Established in 2004, the ...

to a joint partnership of NLTT Ventures, LLC, and Top Tier Sports on June 28, 2021.

Front office changes

(*) Indicates interim.

Coaching changes

Regular season

Standings

The regular season schedule was published on August 5, 2021. Standings as of March 22, 2022.

Schedule

All times listed are Eastern Time.

Playoffs

The Isobel Cup playoffs were held in the

Tampa Bay area The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida, Clea ...

at AdventHealth Center Ice in

Wesley Chapel, Florida Wesley Chapel is a census-designated place in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 64,866 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb in the Tampa Bay area. History Wesley Chapel originated in the mid-1800s as a cohesive communit ...

. All six teams will compete in the postseason. The preliminary rounds will be played on March 25, with the semifinals on March 27 and the championship game on March 28. The championship game will air live on

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...

and

TSN2 TSN2 is a Canadian English-language discretionary sports specialty channel that acts as the secondary feed of sports-centred channel The Sports Network (TSN) and owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc. It was launched in its current form on A ...

Boston vs. Buffalo

Metropolitan vs. Minnesota

Connecticut vs. Minnesota

Boston vs. Toronto

Boston vs. Connecticut

All-Star Game

The 2022 PHF All-Star Game was originally scheduled to take place at the home of the

Toronto Six The Toronto Six were a professional women's ice hockey team in Toronto, Ontario, playing out of Canlan Ice Sports – York. They were one of two Canadian teams in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) along with the Montreal Force, and the first ...

, but was moved to Buffalo, home of the Beauts, due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

restrictions in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. At the same time as the relocation announcement, it was announced that the 2023 All-Star Game would be held in Toronto.

Draft

The 2021 NWHL Draft resulted in Taylor Girard being selected first overall by the Connecticut Whale.

References

External links

League website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 PHF season 2021–22 PHF season PHF season, 2021-22 PHF season, 2021-22 2021-22 PHF season 2021-22 PHF season PHF season, 2021-22