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Mitten Hockey story card: PWHL Detroit

PWHL Detroit gets a 24-player roster as league and union drop reserves and raise minimum salary

The PWHL and its players’ union agreed to 24-player active rosters, no reserve players, and a $42,000 minimum salary for PWHL Detroit’s first season.

Shaun
1–2 minutes

PWHL Detroit will carry 24 full-time players in its first season. The PWHL and the PWHL Players Association announced Thursday that active rosters across the league grow from 23 to 24 for 2026-27, and that the reserve-player system used for the league’s first three seasons will be set aside this year.

The agreement also raises minimum salaries. The league minimum base salary is $42,000 this season and climbs each year after that: $45,000 in 2027-28, $47,500 in 2028-29, $50,000 in 2029-30, and $52,500 in 2030-31. The new minimums cover new contracts and lift any existing deal that falls below them. The CBA’s average-salary requirement now applies across all 24 roster spots, and the two sides added a one-game contract mechanism for emergency roster situations.

What it means for Detroit

The change settles a question that had hung over every team’s roster planning this fall. The Hockey News reported earlier this month that teams could sign only 19 players before camp and were waiting to learn whether the final number would be 23, 24, or 25. Under the old setup, each team carried 23 signed players plus three reserves who earned $15,000 a year without health benefits, The Hockey News reported. Last season’s league minimum was about $37,100.

With expansion from eight to 12 teams, the league says there are 104 more full active-roster spots than last season. For an expansion club like Detroit, the extra spot gives the coaching staff one more full-time player to keep after camp instead of relying on reserves for injury cover.

Training camps open Wednesday, Nov. 18, and the regular season starts Saturday, Dec. 5. PWHL Detroit plays its first home game Dec. 12 at Little Caesars Arena.

Sources

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