Montreal Victoire 2024-25 PWHL season schedule released

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The six Professional Women’s Hockey League teams will get an earlier start and a half-dozen more games in the league’s second season.

The PWHL unveiled Tuesday its regular-season schedule running from Nov. 30 to May 3. The number of games increases from 24 to 30 per team.

The Montreal Victoire have six games (three home, three away) against each of the other five teams in the league. Of the 15 home games, 12 are scheduled at Place Bell in Laval, which the team announced in September would be their new home after splitting the inaugural season between that arena and the Verdun Auditorium.

The other three home games are marked as “TBD” — Jan. 19 against Ottawa, and March 1 and April 28 against Boston. A PWHL spokesperson said those games won’t be played at a primary home venue and those locations, along with broadcast and streaming information, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Last season CBC/Radio-Canada, TSN/RDS and Sportsnet shared television rights to PWHL games, and TSN/RDS broadcast the playoffs. Games were also streamed on the PWHL’s YouTube channel.

The PWHL’s inaugural season opened Jan. 1, 2024 and concluded May 29 with the Minnesota Frost winning the first Walter Cup.

This year’s training camps starting Nov. 12 will include pre-season scrimmages involving all six teams Nov. 19-22 in Toronto and Montreal. The regular season will end on May 3. There are international breaks Dec. 9-16, Feb. 3-10 and April 3-25.

“We started with 24 games, but we knew it was something that, we as players, would love to have more games,” said Toronto Sceptres forward Natalie Spooner.

“That’s kind of why we play the game, to get those games under our belts. To be able to increase the amount of games is exciting. Fans will be excited to be able to watch more games.

“It feels like now we’re seeing much more hockey on TV, so to get our season started soon is super-exciting.”

Besides Montreal, Toronto and New York are also moving to larger home arenas. The Sceptres will play at Coca-Cola Coliseum, home of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, doubling capacity to about 8,000 from the previous home at Mattamy Athletic Centre. The New York Sirens will play at Prudential Centre in Newark, N.J., home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

“Our teams and players are so eager to bring their new identities to life, and the schedule announcement elevates that sense of anticipation,” PWHL senior vice-president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said Tuesday in a statement.

“We have more games, new uniforms, a talented rookie class and so much more for the PWHL community to look forward to. For our players and our fans, the season ahead will be intense, competitive and fun.”

The weeks leading into the league’s second season has fewer question marks for players, who arrived at last year’s training camps without knowing definitively when they’d play their first games.

“There’s not so many unknowns,” Spooner said. “Going into last season, it was our first season of professional hockey. It was a new schedule for us.

“Everyone was being drafted, where were you going to go play, where were you going to live? There was a lot going on.

“We know what the season is going to feel like. There’s going to be more games, but we know the city we’re in and where we’re playing so a lot of players feel more comfortable with that and, in a sense, know what to expect.”

The teams announced training camp rosters up to a maximum 32 players Oct. 11. Rosters of 23 players, plus three reserves, must be finalized by Nov. 27.

The 2025 women’s world championship April 9-20 will be held in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.

Canada and the United States will conclude their five-game Rivalry Series Feb. 6 in Halifax and Feb. 8 in Summerside, P.E.I.

The first three games are Nov. 6 in San Jose, Calif., Nov. 8 in West Valley City, Utah, and Nov. 10 in Boise, Idaho.

Montreal Victoire 2024-25 schedule

All times Eastern. Home games in bold. Channel assignments TBA if not specified.

1. Saturday, Nov. 30, 5 p.m., vs. Ottawa at Place Bell (TSN1, TSN5, RDS)
2. Wednesday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m., vs. New York at Place Bell (TSN1, TSN5, RDS)
3. Friday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m. at Ottawa at Canadian Tire Centre (TSN1, TSN5, RDS)
4. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. at Toronto at Coca-Cola Coliseum (CBC, Radio-Canada)
5. Saturday, Dec. 28, 2 p.m. at Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center (CBC, Radio-Canada)
6. Monday, Dec. 30, 7 p.m. vs. Boston at Place Bell (TSN, RDS)
7. Sunday, Jan. 5, 4 p.m. at Boston at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (TSN, RDS)
8. Wednesday, Jan. 8, 10 p.m. at Toronto at Rogers Arena in Vancouver (TSN, RDS)
9. Sunday, Jan. 12, 3 p.m. at Minnesota at Ball Arena in Denver (TSN, RDS)
10. Friday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m. vs. Minnesota at Place Bell (TSN, RDS)
11. Sunday, Jan. 19, 1 p.m. vs. Ottawa at Videotron Centre in Quebec City (TSN, RDS)
12. Wednesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. vs. Ottawa at Place Bell (TSN, RDS)
13. Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. vs. Toronto at Place Bell (TSN, RDS)
14. Sunday, Feb. 2, 1 p.m. at New York, at Prudential Center (TSN, RDS)
15. Saturday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m. vs. New York at Place Bell (CBC, Radio-Canada)
16. Tuesday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. vs. Minnesota at Place Bell (Prime Video)
17. Saturday, Feb. 22, 2 p.m. at Ottawa at TD Place (CBC, Radio-Canada)
18. Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. vs. Toronto at Place Bell (Prime Video)
19. Saturday, March 1, TBD vs. Boston at location TBD (CBC, Radio-Canada)
20. Tuesday, March 4, 7 p.m. vs. Minnesota at Place Bell (Prime Video)
21. Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m. at Toronto at Coca-Cola Coliseum (TSN, RDS)
22. Saturday, March 8, TBD at Boston at location TBD (CBC, Radio-Canada)
23. Wednesday, March 12, 7 p.m. at New York at Prudential Center (TSN, RDS)
24. Tuesday, March 18, 7 p.m. at Boston at Tsongas Center (Prime Video)
25. Sunday, March 23, noon vs. Toronto at Place Bell (TSN, RDS)
26. Wednesday, March 26, 8 p.m. at Minnesota at Xcel Entergy Center (TSN, RDS)
27. Tuesday, April 1, 7 p.m. vs. New York at Place Bell (Prime Video)
28. Saturday, April 26, TBD at Ottawa at TD Place (TBA)
29. Monday, April 28, TBD vs. Boston at Place Bell (TSN, RDS)
30. Friday. May 2, TBD at New York at Prudential Center (TBA)