New York team in new Professional Women's Hockey League eager to drop puck on first season
Members of the New York team in the new Professional Women's Hockey League skate at the rink at Rockefeller Center after being introduced on Dec. 21, 2023. Credit: Ed Quinn
The moment was not lost on Abigail Levy.
Levy and her PWHL New York squad had just been formally introduced to the world by sportscaster Julie Stewart-Binks early Thursday afternoon at The Rink at Rockefeller Center, and standing around a small semi-circled group of reporters a few minutes later, the 23-year-old from Nyack explained that she grew up as an Islanders season ticket holder.
And now she will have the opportunity to play on the UBS Arena ice as a professional in front of family and friends.
“Being able to play at UBS for some of these games is just going to be full circle with the family,” Levy said. “We’re big Islanders fans so they’re very excited for me. Very excited I’m home.”
It is, to be sure, a thrilling time for the women in the Professional Women’s Hockey League since the league’s inaugural season begins on Jan. 1 when PWHL New York visits Toronto.
The six-team league is owned and operated by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter’s investment firm, the Mark Walter Group.
According to PWHL New York general manager Pascal Daoust, the league’s collective bargaining agreement states for road trips of more than 400 miles, teams will fly. Teams will take the bus for road trips of fewer than 400 miles.
Every team has a 23-player roster, with an average salary of $55,000. Teams will play 24 games, 12 at home and 12 on the road.
PWHL New York will split its home games between UBS Arena and Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., the home of the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League.
Currently, their schedule shows five games at Total Mortgage and another four at UBS. There are three games — April 21 versus Boston, April 30 versus Ottawa, and May 4 against Minnesota — that do not yet have a venue listed.
“It’s a fortunate thing to have those two [buildings],” Daoust said. “To reach out to two [groups] of fans. Some might come to both [UBS and Total Mortgage]. Some might pick one of the two. We have a huge area to represent and it’s an opportunity.”
To that end, the team introduced Micah Zandee-Hart as the first captain in franchise history during the on-ice portion of the event.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with emotion for sure,” said Zandee-Hart, who noted Daoust told her Wednesday night that she was named captain of a team which includes luminaries such as Alex Carpenter.
“Just thinking of the magnitude of the inaugural season and being the first to ever wear the letter in franchise history,” Zandee-Hart said. “I think that’s cool to think of being a part of history like that.”
Especially when you are making history in your stomping grounds.
“This is just a special environment,” Levy said. “For all [of] the players here, a lot of them are tourists. So being here, they’re in awe. But for me, this is just my home. And it’s still like a Hallmark movie for me. I know our coaches say it feels like a Hallmark movie but just being here, it’s special. New York is a special city. It’s probably the best in the world in my opinion, so just a special moment for us all.”
What to know
The PWHL’s inaugural season will feature six teams: Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa and Toronto.
Each team will play a 24-game schedule (12 home and 12 away).
The PWHL’s first game will be on Jan. 1, 2024 with New York playing at Toronto at 12:30 p.m. The regular season concludes on May 5 and playoffs will begin the week of May 6.
New York will split its home games between UBS Arena at Belmont Park and Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. New York is scheduled to play five games at Total Mortgage Arena and four games at UBS Arena, with three home games still TBD. New York plays its first game at UBS Arena on Jan. 10 against Montreal at 7 p.m.
