 Ontario Women's Hockey League | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Commissioner | Fran Rider, OWHA |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Country(ies) |  Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Whitby Jr. Wolves |
| Most championships | Toronto Jr. Aeros – 5 |
| Official website | PWHL official site |
The Provincial Women's Hockey League is an amateur women's ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada that was founded in 2004. It is considered to be the highest level of junior women's amateur ice hockey in Ontario, and is sanctioned by Hockey Canada and the Ontario Women's Hockey Association.[1]
History[]
The PWHL was founded in 2004 by the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. The PWHL is the women's equivalent to men's junior hockey, but is classified by the OWHA as Intermediate AA officially as the OWHA does not have an official "junior" classification system. Despite this, the teams of the PWHL market themselves as women's junior hockey.
One of the league's most notable alumni is Meghan Agosta who played for the Windsor Wildcats. She went on to play professional with the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League and is a member of two Olympic championship teams.[2]
In the early years of the league, when PWHL teams had to compete for OWHA provincials they would do so with representatives of the Ottawa District. The PWHL franchises proved much more competitive than their Ottawa counterparts and after two seasons Ottawa applied to and joined the PWHL. By the 2009 league playoffs, the Ottawa Senators beat the league powerhouse Toronto Jr. Aeros to win its first league championship.
The most dominant franchise in league history is the Toronto Jr. Aeros. The Aeros have won five league championships, including the first three consecutively, two Silver Medal finishes and a single Bronze medal finish in league playdowns. The Aeros have also won five regular season championships. Additionally, the Aeros have won three Golds at provincials, as well as two silvers and a bronze. The Aeros have also twice accomplished the PWHL's "triple crown" winning the regular season title, playoff championship, and provincial championship all in one year in both 2005 and 2006.
Teams[]
Membership[]
Red Division[]
Blue Division[]
| Team | Centre | Arena | Joined |
| Gloucester Cumberland East Ottawa Stars | Ottawa | Richcraft Sensplex & Ray Friel Recreation Complex | 2023 |
| North York Storm | North York, Ontario | Canlan Ice Sports York | 2021 |
| OHA Mavericks | Cornwall | Benson Centre and Cornwall Civic Complex | 2022 |
| Ottawa Lady 67s | Ottawa | Sandy Hill Arena | 2022 |
| Ridley College Tigers | St. Catharines | Ridley College Arena | 2022 |
Team Timeline[]
| Team | Seasons | Notes |
| Bluewater Intermediate Hawks | 1999-2000 | cut down to one entry |
| Bluewater Midget Hawks | 1999-2000 | cut down to one entry |
| Brantford | 1999-2000 | |
| Detroit Honeybaked | 1999-2002 | withdrew to join another league |
| Hamilton | 1999-2000 | |
| London Jr. Stangs | 1999-2002 | become London Jr. Devilettes |
| Peel Storm | 1999-2003 | |
| Saugeen-Mailand Lightning | 1999-2000 | |
| Stratford | 1999-2000 | |
| Bluewater Jr. Hawks | 2000-present | |
| Cambridge Roadrunners | 2000-2001 | |
| Windsor Wildcats | 2001-2008 | renamed Southwest Wildcats |
| Cambridge Jr. Fury | 2001-2004 | renamed Cambridge Rivulettes |
| Chatham Outlaws | 2001-2006 | |
| Birmingham, Michigan | 2001-2003 | |
| London Jr. Devilettes | 2002-present | |
| Rochester Jr. Edge | 2002-2004 | |
| Oakville Ice | 2003-2004 | become Oakville Jr. Hornets |
| Aurora Jr. Panthers | 2004-2019 | renamed Central York Panthers |
| Brampton Jr. Canadettes | 2004-present | |
| Burlington Jr. Barracudas | 2004-present | |
| Cambridge Rivulettes | 2004-present | |
| Durham West Jr. Lightning | 2004-present | |
| Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins | 2004-present | |
| Hamilton Hawks | 2004-2011 | |
| Markham-Stouffville Stars | 2004-2011 | |
| Mississauga Jr. Chiefs | 2004-2018 | renamed Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes |
| Oakville Jr. Hornets | 2004-present | |
| Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | 2004-present | |
| Toronto Jr. Aeros | 2004-present | |
| Whitby Jr. Wolves | 2005-present | |
| Ottawa NCCP Raiders | 2006-2007 | renamed Ottawa NCCP Capitals |
| Ottawa NCCP Capitals | 2007-2008 | renamed Ottawa Lady Sens |
| Ottawa Lady Sens | 2008-present | |
| Southwest Wildcats | 2008-present | |
| Waterloo K-W Rangers | 2008-2023 | replaced by Waterloo Ravens |
| Nepean Jr. Wildcats | 2010-present | |
| Barrie Jr. Sharks | 2011-present | |
| Toronto Leaside Jr. Wildcats | 2011-present | |
| Kingston Ice Wolves | 2012-present | |
| Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes | 2018-present | |
| Central York Panthers | 2019-present | |
| North York Storm | 2021-present | |
| OHA Mavericks | 2021-present | had two entries in 2021-22 and 2022-23 |
| Ottawa Lady 67s | 2022-present | |
| Ridley College Tigers | 2022-present | |
| Gloucester Cumberland East Ottawa Stars | 2023-present | |
| Waterloo Ravens | 2023-present |
Seasons[]
- 1999-00 Southwestern Girls Junior Hockey League Season
- 2000-01 Southwestern Girls Junior Hockey League Season
- 2001-02 Southwestern Girls Junior Hockey League Season
- 2002-03 Southwestern Girls Junior Hockey League Season
- 2003-04 Southwestern Girls Junior Hockey League Season
- 2004-05 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2005-06 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2006-07 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2007-08 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2008-09 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2009-10 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2010-11 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2011-12 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2012-13 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2013-14 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2014-15 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2015-16 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2016-17 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2017-18 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2018-19 Provincial Women's Hockey League Season
- 2019-20 Provincial Women's Hockey League season
- 2020-21 Provincial Women's Hockey League season
- 2021-22 Provincial Women's Hockey League season
- 2022-23 Provincial Women's Hockey League season
- 2023-24 Provincial Women's Hockey League season
- 2024-25 Ontario Women's Hockey League U-22 Elite League season
Playoff Champions[]
PWHL Alumni Cup
The winner of the final four is awarded the Alumni Cup.[3]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provincials[]
The OWHA runs a second run of playoffs that determines Provincial champion. These are not operated by the PWHL, but have all PWHL teams participating.
National team and Profession alumni[]The following PWHL alumni have represented Canada in international tournaments and in Professional leagues.
Awards[]Regular Season champions[]
Scoring champion[]
Goaltending Award[]
Coach of the Year[]
Christie Rose Scholarship[]The PWHL awards a scholarship in memory of former PWHL player Christie Rose. She was an 18-year-old young woman who died on June 24, 2008, as a result of her injuries suffered in a car accident.[12] The scholarship is awarded on an annual basis to recognize a young woman who shares the same qualities and characteristics as Christie. Recipients[]
References[]
External links[] |