The Premier Hockey Federation is about to get bigger.
Five separate investment groups are in talks to acquire current teams or commit to building expansion franchises for the women’s hockey league, according to Sportico. The investors are based in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Ontario.
The PHF is hoping that a franchise sale could yield between $5 million and $7 million.
Established in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, the league rebranded to the PHF in 2021. It now has seven teams total — including a new franchise in Montreal.
But almost all of the teams are owned by the same investment groups, a conflict-of-interest problem that new investors would hopefully solve.
- The Montreal Force, Boston Pride, Metropolitan Riveters, and Toronto Six are all owned by BTM Partners.
- The Minnesota Whitecaps and the Buffalo Beauts are owned by NLTT Ventures.
The league has garnered a $25 million investment from owners. As a result, the salary cap will go up to $1.5 million next season.
The PHF has media rights deals with ESPN and Discovery.
