| 2021–22 PHF season | |
| League: | Premier Hockey Federation |
| Sport: | Ice hockey |
| Duration: | November 6, 2021 – March 27, 2022 |
| No Of Matches: | 20 |
| No Of Teams: | 6 |
| Tv: | ESPN+ ESPN2 and TSN2 (Isobel Cup finals) |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Season Champ Name: | Season Champions |
| Season Champs: | Connecticut Whale |
| Top Scorer: | Kennedy Marchment (Connecticut) |
| Finals: | Isobel Cup |
| Finals Link: | Isobel Cup |
| Finals Champ: | Boston Pride |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Connecticut Whale |
| Finals Mvp: | Taylor Wenczkowski |
| Nextseason Year: | 2022–23 |
| Prevseason Year: | 2020–21 |
| Seasonslistnames: | Premier Hockey Federation |
The 2021–22 PHF season was the seventh season of the Premier Hockey Federation (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 PHF commenced the 2021–22 season with a normal travel-based schedule.
Following the 2021 Isobel Cup Finals, Lisa Haley was appointed as the league's vice president of hockey operations.[1]
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.[2]
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).[3] [4]
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.[5]
Plans for an expansion team in Montreal, Quebec, 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.[6]
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.[7] 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 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.[8] The NWHL finished selling its league operated teams to independent ownership with the sale of the Buffalo Beauts and Minnesota Whitecaps to a joint partnership of NLTT Ventures, LLC, and Top Tier Sports on June 28, 2021.[9]
The regular season schedule was published on August 5, 2021.[12] [13]
Standings as of March 22, 2022.[14]
| Team | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 44 | +30 | 142 | ||
| 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 45 | +21 | 154 | ||
| 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 152 | ||
| 20 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 65 | -11 | 195 | ||
| 20 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 64 | -12 | 202 | ||
| 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 73 | -29 | 176 |
All times listed are Eastern Time.
| Regular season schedule | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Notes | ||||
| November 6 | Connecticut | 1–4 | Metropolitan | ||||||
| Toronto | 4–3 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Minnesota | 4–6 | Boston | |||||||
| November 7 | Minnesota | 0–1 | Boston | ||||||
| Connecticut | 6–5 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| November 13 | Boston | 4–3 | Connecticut | OT | |||||
| November 14 | Boston | 1–3 | Connecticut | ||||||
| November 20 | Connecticut | 1–5 | Toronto | ||||||
| Buffalo | 4–3 | Metropolitan | OT | ||||||
| Boston | 0–2 | Minnesota | |||||||
| November 21 | Connecticut | 2–3 | Toronto | ||||||
| Boston | 2–1 | Minnesota | OT | ||||||
| Buffalo | 3–5 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| December 4 | Minnesota | 1–5 | Connecticut | ||||||
| Toronto | 1–2 | Boston | SO | ||||||
| December 5 | Minnesota | 2–4 | Connecticut | ||||||
| Toronto | 2–8 | Boston | |||||||
| December 11 | Metropolitan | 1–2 | Toronto | ||||||
| Buffalo | — | Minnesota | Postponed[15] | ||||||
| December 12 | Metropolitan | 0–3 | Toronto | ||||||
| Buffalo | — | Minnesota | Postponed | ||||||
| December 18 | Boston | — | Metropolitan | Postponed[16] | |||||
| Connecticut | 3–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Toronto | 4–0 | Minnesota | |||||||
| December 19 | Toronto | 2–1 | Minnesota | ||||||
| Connecticut | 3–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Boston | — | Metropolitan | Postponed | ||||||
| January 8 | Minnesota | — | Toronto | Postponed[17] | |||||
| Boston | — | Buffalo | Postponed | ||||||
| January 9 | Boston | — | Buffalo | Postponed | |||||
| Minnesota | — | Toronto | Postponed | ||||||
| January 15 | Metropolitan | 1–5 | Connecticut | ||||||
| Buffalo | 1–6 | Toronto | |||||||
| January 16 | Buffalo | 3–8 | Toronto | ||||||
| Metropolitan | 2–3 | Connecticut | |||||||
| January 22 | Toronto | — | Connecticut | Postponed[18] | |||||
| Minnesota | 3–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Metropolitan | 1–3 | Boston | |||||||
| January 23 | Toronto | — | Connecticut | Postponed | |||||
| Minnesota | 6–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Metropolitan | 4–3 | Boston | |||||||
| February 5 | Connecticut | 3–2 | Boston | ||||||
| Buffalo | 1–8 | Minnesota | Rescheduled from December 11[19] | ||||||
| February 6 | Buffalo | 6–2 | Minnesota | Rescheduled from December 12 | |||||
| Connecticut | 6–1 | Boston | |||||||
| February 12 | Minnesota | 2–6 | Toronto | Rescheduled from January 8[20] | |||||
| Metropolitan | 2–3 | Buffalo | |||||||
| February 13 | Minnesota | 1–2 | Toronto | Rescheduled from January 9 | |||||
| Metropolitan | 3–2 | Buffalo | |||||||
| February 19 | Metropolitan | 2–5 | Minnesota | ||||||
| February 20 | Metropolitan | 7–4 | Minnesota | ||||||
| February 21 | Toronto | 0–3 | Buffalo | ||||||
| February 26 | Toronto | 4–3 | Metropolitan | ||||||
| Buffalo | 3–4 | Boston | |||||||
| February 27 | Buffalo | 0–1 | Boston | ||||||
| Toronto | 3-2 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| March 5 | Boston | 2–0 | Metropolitan | Rescheduled from December 18 | |||||
| Connecticut | 4–2 | Minnesota | |||||||
| March 6 | Connecticut | 4–1 | Minnesota | ||||||
| Boston | 2–3 | Metropolitan | OT | Rescheduled from December 19 | |||||
| March 12 | Minnesota | 4-2 | Metropolitan | ||||||
| Boston | 1-2 | Toronto | OT | ||||||
| Buffalo | 3-5 | Connecticut | |||||||
| March 13 | Boston | 3–4 | Toronto | OT | |||||
| Buffalo | 0-4 | Connecticut | |||||||
| Minnesota | 3–4 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| March 19 | Toronto | 5-4 | Connecticut | OT | Rescheduled from January 22[21] | ||||
| Boston | 1-2 | Buffalo | OT | Rescheduled from January 8 | |||||
| March 20 | Boston | 2-3 | Buffalo | OT | Rescheduled from January 9 | ||||
| Toronto | 0-5 | Connecticut | Rescheduled from January 23 | ||||||
The Isobel Cup playoffs were held in the Tampa Bay area at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Florida. 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 and TSN2.[22]
The 2022 PHF All-Star Game was originally scheduled to take place at the home of the Toronto Six,[23] but was moved to Buffalo, home of the Beauts, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario.[24] At the same time as the relocation announcement, it was announced that the 2023 All-Star Game would be held in Toronto.
The 2021 NWHL Draft resulted in Taylor Girard being selected first overall by the Connecticut Whale.[25]