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PWHL Reveals 2025 Salaries; Top Pay 14.8% NHL Minimum

5/27/2026

25 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Players Association Salary

The PWHL Players Association released the 2025-2026 base salaries for all league players.
Ottawa forward Emily Clark earned $126,090, the league’s highest, with Sarah Fillier at $125,000.
The league minimum of $37,131.50 will rise 3 % to $38,245.45 next season.
Ninety-seven players earned under $50,000 and called salaries the biggest issue because top pay is only 14.8 % of the NHL minimum.

Summary

**PWHL Reveals Salaries**

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) became the first major North American women’s sports league to publicly release individual player salaries.
The Players Association approved salary disclosure in May 2025, with the data released in May 2026 after The Hockey News obtained them and a salary guide posted on May 12.
The league will expand from eight to twelve teams for the 2026-27 season, adding Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose.

History

Historical Context

Enacted in 1972, Title IX barred sex discrimination in federally funded schools, prompting a nine-fold rise in high-school and over 450 % growth in college women’s athletics by 2006. The NCAA later recorded a 250 % jump in women’s hockey participation from 1998 to 2020. In 2025-26 the PWHL Players Association disclosed salaries, with forward Emily Clark earning $126,090.

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Players Association Salary

The PWHL Players Association released the 2025-2026 base salaries for all league players.
Ottawa forward Emily Clark earned $126,090, the league’s highest, with Sarah Fillier at $125,000.
The league minimum of $37,131.50 will rise 3 % to $38,245.45 next season.
Ninety-seven players earned under $50,000 and called salaries the biggest issue because top pay is only 14.8 % of the NHL minimum.

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