PWHL announces “Gold Plan” draft, different playoff format, trade deadline date

In the ongoing trend of trying to do something different, the Professional Women’s Hockey League is taking an innovative route in determining its playoff seeding, as well as its player selection process.

On Wednesday, the PWHL announced the “Gold Plan” a new process on determining the draft selection process.

The plan will begin once a a team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. That team will then begin earning “Draft Order Points”, which follows the traditional point system, but will be separate from their regular season record. Then, of the two teams that do not participate in the playoffs, whoever has the most Draft Order Points will be awarded the first overall pick.

If the two teams tie for the most Draft Order Points, the first pick in each round of the draft will be awarded to the team with the most regulation wins after elimination. If the two squads are still tied, the team with the most combined overtime and shootout wins post-elimination will earn the top pick.

However, if the teams are still deadlocked, the team with the fewest overall regular-season standings points will earn the first selection in the draft.

Therefore, the league is eliminating potential tanking among teams looking for the No. 1 pick. The official draft date has yet to be announced, but it will take place before June 21, when free agency opens.

Also, the PWHL has made a game-changing ruling on how the playoffs will be conducted. The league previously announced that the top four teams will qualify for the postseason, with the semifinals and finals being best-of-five series.

However, whichever team ends up with the best record will get a chance to choose who they play in the semifinals. The rule will allow the No. 1 seed 24 hours to pick between the third- or fourth-place teams to face in the opening round. The second-place team will still receive home ice advantage for at least the semifinals.

“The perfect complement to the PWHL’s standings structure, in which a team earns three points for a regulation victory, is a process that rewards competitiveness, parity, and integrity across the league throughout the regular-season,” Jayna Hefford, senior vice president of hockey operations said in a release. “Winning is prioritized for playoff positioning — and non-playoff teams have to earn the first overall draft selection, rather than depend on a lottery or repeated losses to improve their chances of securing the top pick.”

The league has been doing its part on trying to create a different product from other leagues. From their 3-2-1 point system, and the “jailbreak” shorthanded goals, the PWHL is making hockey fun by changing the game.

During a media availability on Wednesday, Hefford also clarified that the PWHL Trade Deadline will be on March 17 at 11:59 p.m. ET., nine days after the NHL’s deadline.

Hefford also revealed a couple of other notes, including that the 2024-25 season will start before January 1, and teams will be playing 30 games, which was set during the league’s collective bargaining agreement.