With the PWHL preseason starting today, it’s time to take a look at the new rules they announced yesterday, Tuesday, Nov. 19. During the PWHL’s inaugural season; they had a strong reception to their rules that differed from the NHL, such as the “Jail Break” rule and how they determine draft ranking by the most wins instead of who has the fewest points.
The first rule announced was the “No Escape Rule,” and the second dealt with player safety and illegal head contact. They also went on to post important dates throughout the season to pay attention to. In this article, we’ll examine the new rules and the key dates to put on calendars, starting with the “No Escape Rule.”
PWHL Implements “No Escape Rule”
The “No Escape Rule” states that when a team takes a penalty, its players who were on the ice when the penalty was called must stay on the ice until after the following faceoff to resume play. This rule is similar to the icing rule, and it can give the team on the power play even more advantage, as the penalized team could be stuck with three forwards and one defender on the ice to start the penalty kill.
This rule could create interesting opportunities and force teams to try to take fewer penalties. Since the other team can change its players, it’ll have its top unit out against possibly three forwards, and those players will be tired. So, this new rule could help a team that gets a power play in two ways since the penalty kill can’t set up like normal and fatigue will be a factor.
This rule also includes a delay-of-game penalty if a team purposely puts too many players on the ice to confuse what players should stay on the ice. It seems the PWHL has already considered ways for teams to manipulate this new rule and covered its bases to try to stop that.
This is a rule that could eventually make its way to the NHL. They already have the icing rule that prevents player changes to the team that dumps the puck. That rule has made the game much more interesting, especially in the final few minutes when a tired team is down on the scoreboard and accidentally ices the puck. Hopefully, this new rule will make the game more exciting and appealing to new fans, as their other rules have.
PWHL Serious About Player Safety
Player safety in both the PWHL and NHL is always a complex debate because the calls are all based on judgment, and many times, it’s not consistent. The PWHL is trying to get ahead of this regarding checks to the head, as they’ve made the punishment more severe. If a player commits an illegal check to the head, they will get a major penalty and a game misconduct.
The rule also states the league will automatically look at the play, allowing referees to keep their original call, reduce it, or remove it altogether if the head wasn’t hit. The PWHL is the first league to implement this severe of a penalty for an illegal check to the head and hopefully, it’ll get others to follow suit. It could also drop the number of concussions if it prevents players from making these kinds of hits. The PWHL also changed their head-butting rule from a minor to a major and added a game misconduct.
Thankfully, the PWHL is taking head hits seriously, and again, the NHL could do more to follow in their footsteps. While the NHL does have a rule against illegal checks to the head, it isn’t an automatic misconduct if called; only if the referee deems that it was on purpose can they choose to make it a misconduct. Hopefully, the NHL will adjust this rule and make the penalty more severe to try and limit these kinds of hits.
PWHL’s Important Dates
While there were some other minor rule changes, the next item on the list was the PWHL’s announcements of all its major dates for the season. The league’s waiver period will begin on Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. ET and end the following day, Nov. 27, at 3 p.m. ET. The first regular season game will be a few days later, on Nov. 30.
There won’t be any major dates for a few months, with the next being the 2025 Draft Declaration Period, which will take place from March 1- May 8. The PWHL Trade Deadline will be at noon ET on March 2, while the roster freeze will be the next day, March 3 at noon ET. Finally, the regular season will end on May 3, with the postseason beginning a few days later on May 6.
Related: PWHL Adding 2 Expansion Teams for 2025-26 Season
The PWHL had a successful first season, and they’re looking to build on that with these new rules and the announcement of these dates before the season begins so fans can make plans and watch for these activities. It’ll be interesting to see how these new rules play out and if they can draw in more fans.
