Toronto to host 2027 PWHL All-Star Game

One of the fastest-growing sports leagues is finally going to have a showcase featuring its biggest stars.

At the Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced that it will host its first All-Star Game this season. The inaugural event will take place on March 7, 2027 at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In a statement, Jayna Hefford, PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations, says it’s a huge moment for the league.

“The PWHL was built to feature the best players in the world, and now fans will see the highest level of skill in women’s hockey showcased in a new and unique way,” Hefford said. “The 3-on-3 format creates an intense, fast-paced style of play, while the mix of teams will produce intriguing matchups and give both established stars and emerging talent the opportunity to shine. It’s only fitting that we return to Toronto — where the PWHL first dropped the puck — to bring the best of the best together for an unforgettable day for our fans and our league.”

The format will be similar to that of the NHL’s old 3-on-3 format. The league’s buggest names will be split into four teams – Canada, United States, International and Rookies. It’s very much a carbon copy of the Premier Hockey Federation’s All-Star Game in 2023, which featured a Team USA, Team Canada and Team World.

It will be a round-robin tournament, where each team will play each other once. The second- and third-place teams will meet in a semifinal, with the winner taking on the No. 1 seed to determine a champion.

The teams will consist of 10 players – six forwards, three defenders and a goaltender. Starters will be chosen through a combination of fan, player, and media voting. The rest of the rosters will be decided by league hockey operations.

The event will be broadcast on TSN and Radio-Canada.

It has been a long time coming for the league. Since its inception in 2023, fans and media alike have wondered about the possibility of an All-Star Game, but the PWHL hadn’t had the chance to put one on, with international breaks and a tight schedule being a notable roadblock. The closest thing the league has had to an ASG in the past was a 3-on-3 showcase during the NHL All-Star Weekend in 2024, which just happened to take place in Toronto.

This season’s event certainly won’t be the first time that a league showcase will take place in the Leafs’ backyard. All four of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s All-Star Games were held in Toronto’s home rink, then known as Air Canada Centre, from 2015 to 2019.

It won’t be the first time the PWHL has played at the SBA, either. The Toronto Sceptres have hosted an annual Battle on Bay Street since their first season.