Breaking Barriers: Professional Women’s Hockey League

Breaking Barriers: Professional Women’s Hockey League – Professional women’s hockey isn’t new, but the most recent iteration is showing signs of a staying power that previous versions have lacked. The PWHL has financial backing and a Collective Bargaining Agreement through 2031. That agreement comes with salary stipulations and other financial incentives. They are breaking the attendance records for a professional women’s matches repeatedly. And now, fans of these fantastic athletes can collect their cards as well. Upper Deck has the first, exclusively licensed product of physical and digital trading cards for the PWHL.

After the downfall of professional women’s leagues over several decades, hundreds of players founded the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA). This group opted to boycott existing leagues in pursuit of a unified, financially stable professional league. 

In 2022 the PWHPA joined with Mark Walter, owner of the LA Dodgers, and Billie Jean King. The intent was to form and launch a new league. The CBA was made and the new league, the PWHL, was announced in August 2023. 

Six inaugural team locations were announced as well: Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Montreal, New York City, Ottawa, and Toronto. Each location was chosen for a strong hockey fan base and a history of supporting the women’s game. 

In the first season that ran from January to May of 2024, the six teams each played 24 regular season games. The top four teams had two rounds of playoffs. Minnesota came out on top, winning the Walter Cup, aptly named for the league’s owner.

The 24-25 season is underway, running from November to May with 30 regular season games for each team. And now those teams have nicknames, crests, and team branding. They are playing on their home ice as well as in several neutral locations around the US and Canada. 

Breaking Barriers: Professional Women’s Hockey League – Teams

• Boston Fleet
• Minnesota Frost
• Montréal Victoire
• New York Sirens
• Ottawa Charge
• Toronto Sceptres

Upper Deck’s 2024 PWHL First Edition has the first ever PWHL Young Guns. Those Young Guns are not only relegated to rookies either. All of the greats have one. The newest release, 2025 Upper Deck PWHL Hockey has all of the cards that are expected in a UD Hockey set: Young Guns, Dazzlers, Outbursts, Portraits etc. The Young Guns in this set are for the rookies. Additionally, the exciting set has collectors chasing numbered parallels and, for the first time, autographs. The PWHL has taken off and these cards are doing the same. Best get in on it from the start.

Breaking Barriers: Professional Women’s Hockey League – PWHL Top Players

• Natalie Spooner
• Sarah Nurse
• Marie-Philip Poulin
• Alex Carpenter
• Kendall Coyne Schofield
• Sarah Fillier
• Abby Boreen
• Taylor Heise
• Jessie Eldridge
• Jocelyne Larocque
• Danielle Serdachny
• Cayla Barnes
• Erin Ambrose
• Renata Fast
• Brianne Jenner

Breaking Barriers: Professional Women’s Hockey League – More Resources

• 2025 Upper Deck Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Cards
• 2024 Upper Deck Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Cards Checklist
• Box Break: 2024 Upper Deck Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Cards

Breaking Barriers: Professional Women’s Hockey League – Image Gallery