For any professional sports league to thrive, corporate partners and sponsors are vital. As the PWHL prepares for its second campaign after completing its inaugural season in 2024 with enormous fanfare and popularity, it has solidified some key strategic partnerships that will grow the league and provide a better experience for the fans.

With huge attendance numbers, fan engagement in the PWHL has increased significantly, and the league has taken advantage by partnering with both emerging brands that are new to hockey and more established corporate sponsors with deep roots in the game.

Following the NHL, the PWHL has collaborated with some of the biggest corporate brands in the hockey world, forming partnerships with Canadian Tire, Hyundai, Rogers, Scotiabank, Air Canada, and Tim Hortons. On the equipment and apparel side, Pro Hockey Life, Sport Chek, Sports Experts, Bauer and CCM are all official PWHL partners and Vaughn, Sherwood, Warrior, True, Renfrew, Fox 40 and Blade Master all official suppliers for the league.

The PWHL has also aligned itself with some emerging brands like Woody Creek, a Colorado distillery that became the league’s first U.S. Premier Partner. Woody Creek’s media assets include TV-visible dasher board signage, presenting partner of the end-of-season PWHL Awards, and sponsor of the “Player to Watch” segment during television broadcasts.

South of the border, the PWHL signed a partnership agreement with Bread Financial. In addition to branding on PWHL New York helmets, the partnership includes in-arena signage and promotions across the league’s three U.S. teams in Boston, Minnesota and New York. Bread Financial will also be featured in broadcast and digital integrations and deliver unique social media content including the ‘Save of the Game, presented by Bread Financial’ that showcases highlight-reel plays.

A big part of the league’s success in 2024 was their ability to lock up broadcasting partners in the U.S. and Canada. In Canada, the games are divided across TSN, CBC and Sportsnet, which includes linear television and streaming on TSN+, CBC Gem, ca, the CBC Sports app, and Sportsnet+. South of the border, the PWHL has signed a deal with the Women’s Sports Network (WSN) to broadcast the games making it the first national media partner in the U.S.

One of the more unique collaborations is the PWHL’s partnership with the iconic Barbie brand. Building on the fan excitement around the initial announcement in February, the league and Barbie have released a collection of merchandise featuring an array of products for both adults and youth, including shirts with the empowering slogans “Dream It, Do It.” and “Crushin’ Limits,” as well as totes and tumblers.

More new, exciting partnerships are in the offing, with some set to be announced ahead of the new 2024-25 season.