The Pro Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has been releasing some more procedural processes for the remainder of their season and the draft, and they have done a fantastic job giving hockey fans what they want with them. From declaring draft eligibility, to the “Gold Plan,” and picking your own opponent in the playoffs. This will create some very exciting hockey down the tail end of the season.
Non-Inaugural Draft Rules
The first draft was going to be an exception from how the regular process would work moving forward. After holding a 15-round draft, the PWHL has decided to go with a seven-round format moving forward. With the draft format, there is no specific age minimum or limit set for PWHL draftees, the expectation is that many of the players drafted will come out of the NCAA, as well as other international top leagues. Players who wish to enter the PWHL draft need to declare themselves to become eligible to be selected by a team.
Each team will keep the same selection in each round, so the team that picks last will own the last pick in each round of the draft. The PWHL managers have been told that they are unable to trade draft picks this season, but there will be a time slot open after the season that will allow draft picks to be dealt with, and the understanding is that next season, draft picks will be in play for trades.
Related: PWHL Halfway Point: Milestones & Progress
Players that go undrafted can become free agents and sign with any club. If a player is to go undrafted and doesn’t sign, they can re-enter the draft after two unsigned seasons and cannot declare themselves eligible for more than two drafts.
No Tanking in the PWHL
A very exciting change the PWHL is making is that there is no tanking for a high draft pick. How can that be? Well, once your team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, you begin gaining points toward your draft pick. Whoever finishes the season with the most points will be granted the first overall pick and the first pick in each round of the draft. Using the league’s standard point system to count points after being out of contention, it will be determined which of the two teams that miss the playoffs will earn the higher draft pick.
I am sure that during the entire future of the PWHL, we will witness a team stink until mathematically eliminated, and then suddenly be a good team and lock in the top pick afterward, but this process eliminates the NHL’s style of tanking, which involves stripping the roster down and having a sub-par on-ice product.
PWHL Playoff Format
Without traditional conferences or divisions to go by, the PWHL will be utilizing its own format, allowing the top team in the league to select their opponent. The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs, and within 24 hours of the season-ending, the top team will have the chance to choose either the third or fourth-placed team to face in the first round, giving the second-place team the other.
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On one hand, it is great to be able to choose your opponent and add all the more drama to the scene, but on the other hand, pick wrong, and it could be embarrassing to lose to the team you chose to play against.
The PWHL playoffs will use a five-game series in their two rounds of play. Each game will alternate the home team, which will be the higher seed based on regular season standings.
Many of these changes are something that some NHL fans have been requesting for some time now. It adds meaningful games all the way until the end, even more chaos in the playoffs, and excitement from the first game until the last. The PWHL is doing things right.