Saint Paul, MN - The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that its Minnesota franchise will play home games at Xcel Energy Center with the team’s historic home opener scheduled for Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. CT against Montreal. The league announced home openers for all six of its teams today, with the inaugural season scheduled to begin on New Year’s Day in Toronto.

“We are thrilled to call Xcel Energy Center our home for our inaugural season,” said Natalie Darwitz, PWHL Minnesota General Manager. “Xcel Energy Center is a premier venue which has the amenities to provide our players and our fans with a first-rate game experience. The enthusiasm and excitement our players and fans will bring to Xcel Energy Center will guarantee our team having a home ice advantage! We are looking forward with great anticipation to our first home game. We can’t wait to welcome the best fans in the nation to our home as we begin our journey to bring a championship to the state of Minnesota!”

The PWHL officially launched in August with the introduction of six original teams and the foundation to assemble rosters featuring the best women’s hockey players in the world. Among the stars suiting up for Minnesota are U.S. Olympians Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and the team’s first overall draft pick Taylor Heise.

“Hosting PWHL Minnesota for its inaugural season at Xcel Energy Center marks an exciting chapter in our hockey history,” said Xcel Energy Center General Manager and Executive Director Kelly McGrath. “We look forward to welcoming PWHL fans to the arena to see the best professional women’s hockey players in the world play on our ice."

Regarded as one of the finest arenas in the world, Xcel Energy Center is a one-of-a-kind, multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility located in downtown Saint Paul. It is home to the Minnesota Wild, with a capacity of over 18,000, and hosts more than 150 sporting and entertainment events per year, attracting roughly 1.7 million visitors annually.

Fans who placed ticket deposits will receive a link for priority access to purchase PWHL season ticket plans. Early access to ticket information will also be sent directly to PWHL e-newsletter subscribers who are registered for updates at this link.

Minnesota will also take part in Boston’s home opener on Wednesday, Jan. 3, at 6:00 p.m. CT at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. A full season schedule will be announced in the coming days.

Follow the new league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.

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Media Contact:

Paul Krotz

PWHL Director of Communications

647-505-8010

paul.krotz@thepwhl.com