YORKTON - The puck is set to drop New Year’s day on the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
The new six-team loop will see New York visiting Toronto on the first, and Prince Albert’s Kaitlin Willoughby will be skating for TO at the historic contest.
Brooke Hobson from PA is on the New York roster.
While there have been other attempts at a professional women’s hockey league in North America – Willoughby played in Calgary with both the Canadian Women's Hockey League and Professional Women's Hockey Players Association teams there – she believes the newest iteration will be the successful one.
“It’s been nice to take some time to look to the future and where my pro hockey career has evolved,” she told Yorkton This Week in an interview from Toronto where the team’s training camp is readying the team for the upcoming season.
Willoughby said while previous leagues have been important for the women’s game the PWHL takes it to a new level by enduring players contract sufficient to just play the game.
In earlier leagues “we couldn’t give our all to the sport. We had to support ourselves with a second job.”
With a minimum contract in the PWHL Willoughby said things change.
“It’s (the minimum contracts) what takes women’s hockey to the next level. We’ve never had that before.”
That said, with a number of women’s pro leagues having come and gone there is some pressure to make the PWHL last or the women’s game might regress.
“There’s definitely a sense of pressure this league needs to be successful,” said Willoughby.
Thankfully early interest in the PWHL appears good.
“Toronto sold out season tickets in two days,” said Willoughby.
The Saskatchewan-born forward said strong ticket sales are certainly a positive, adding the game will keep fans once they see it.
“When you first see women’s hockey you’ll be surprised how exciting it can be,” she assured.
Players of course will need to work to build a following by doing off ice promotions and whatever else it takes to carve out a following in a city such as Toronto home to the NHL Maple Leafs and NBA Raptors which will garner much of the sport community attention.
“If we have to stay after games signing autographs we will,” said Willoughby adding it is incumbent upon players to shows fans “ . . . that we want them to be fans for life.”
The game will help hold fan attention too, said Willoughby.
“I think a lot of people are surprised by the speed of the game, surprised how physical a game that we do play . . . and the amazing skills to be seen,” she said.
As for the TO team, Willoughby said she likes what she sees developing through camp.
“I think we have an awesome roster from top to bottom,” she said.
In her own case Willoughby said she just wants to play hard.
“I think I have a lot of tenacity . . . I never give up,” she said, adding that is important as she knows her role will be to shutdown the opposition’s best and play on the penalty kill.
Down the road Willoughby said she hopes the PWHL becomes the dream of young female players.
“My dream was to play in the Olympics. It was the only thing I could see. I didn’t see a pro league,” she said, adding a successful PWHL is something young players can aspire too.
“Just keep working hard everyday. No dream is too big.”
And hopefully there will be more than six teams to dream about too.
Asked about teams in Calgary, or Winnipeg or Saskatoon, Willoughby said, “I think that would be ideal.”
Canada’s other two PWHL teams start their campaigns Jan. 2 as Montreal visits Ottawa.
