PHF doubling salary cap for 2023-24 season, increasing to $1.5 million

The Premier Hockey Federation is doubling its salary cap for the 2023-24 season, another sign of growth for the lone women’s professional hockey league in North America.

The PHF announced Wednesday that each team’s player payroll will go up to $1.5 million next season, from the current record figure of $750,000. This marks the third straight season of player salary growth since 2021 when the cap was $150,000 per team.

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Commissioner Reagan Carey said in a press release that the increase reflects the strength of the league, currently in its eighth season.

“We will not stop here, and are very proud to continue our track record of establishing new records for women’s professional hockey,” Carey said. “The PHF was the first league to pay its players back in 2015, and our commitment to building the best home for women’s professional hockey requires us to continue leading the way forward. Greater financial opportunities for athletes is part of the new PHF era. We are doing the work, and we are seeing the results.”

The increase stems from the PHF’s previously announced $25 million commitment to “direct payment and benefits” to its players over three years that the league received from its Board of Governors in January 2022.

The PHF — which rebranded from the NWHL in 2021 — currently has seven franchises including the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, Toronto Six and its newest franchise the Montreal Force.

Under the league’s current model, teams must spend at least 75 percent of the cap ($562,500). According to the league’s press release, all seven PHF teams are over the cap floor. This season, the minimum salary is $13,500. Back in May, Mikyla Grant-Mentis reportedly signed a landmark $80,000 contract, making her the highest-paid player in women’s hockey.

League minimum, among other salary details for 2023-24 have yet to be determined.

The news is yet another sign of improvement for the PHF after an offseason that included adding a new team, new high-caliber players on the ice and new high-profile hires in the front office and within teams.

Olympians Brianna Decker and Kacey Bellamy join long-time Team Canada manager Melody Davidson and Carey, the former U.S. women’s national team manager. Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Geraldine Heaney is the new coach of the Toronto Six, joining fellow Hall of Famer Angela James (the team’s general manager) and new team president Sami Jo Small.

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Several players in the league this season — like Katerina Mrazova, Dominika Laskova and Élizabeth Giguère — have and continue to represent their national teams. While the league continues its broadcast partnership with ESPN.

The PHF is currently the only professional women’s league in North America. Meanwhile the Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Association — in its fourth season of showcase events — is hoping to start its own league by 2023.

(Photo of Reagan Carey: Ker Robertson / Getty Images)