By Canadian Press

PWHL announces playoff format that will allow No. 1 seed to pick opponent

Feb 28, 2024 | 2:21 PM

TORONTO — The Professional Women’s Hockey League is adding more outside-the-box rules for its inaugural season.

The first-year circuit announced Wednesday that four of its six teams are set to make the playoffs — with a twist. The No. 1 seed will have the option to choose its semifinal opponent from the third- and fourth-place finishers for the five-game series.

The No. 2 seed will have its home-ice advantage secured in the semis. The title will also be decided in a best-of-five format.

The PWHL, which has implemented a 3-2-1 points system and the so-called “jailbreak” where a short-handed goal frees a penalized player from the box, also announced during a mid-season video conference call with reporters Wednesday that it will implement the “Gold Plan” for its draft order. 

The system, proposed by statistician Adam Gold more than a decade ago, rewards team success following post-season elimination with the goal of having something to play for down the stretch and to stop clubs from tanking for the top pick.

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The PWHL draft will be held in mid-June with seven rounds and 42 selections.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press