Purple Reign

It's nearly time to start the roster building process for the 2026 Expansion Draft as the entire Purple Trio are locked in the studio to create their protection lists for the current eight marketsThis year gets a bit more feisty as each of us this time round refuse to back down on some of choices for should and who shouldn't go o

In a follow up to the episode we did on the announcement of PWHL San Hose I share my thoughts on the press conference that took place hosted by the legend that is Brodie BrazilThis is an emotional moment for me as I've been a lifelong Sharks fan and I am so excited for what's coming to the Bay Area

Nearly a week on from our new champions being crowned you join us on an unbearable Bank Holiday weather where I had to strip off multiple times throughout the show to cool off as we celebrate the Montreal Victoire's achievementThis felt like years in the making as Montreal has had the tools since day 1 but never found a way until now to bring them together in the Walter Cup Playoffs as star ne...

Now that the 2026/27 PWHL Expansion class is complete we recap each of the four markets that were chosen to enter the league and for one market in particular I get very emotional We can't wait to welcome Detroit, Las Vegas, Hamilton and San Jose to the Professional Women's Hockey League this Fall

Normally Eurovision Week is a highlight of my year as it is full of joy and love and the only time I as a british citizen get to listen to songs in other languagesBut the Gaza Conflict has poisoned the contest that I once held dear and because of my position on Israel I had to boycott the 70th edition in Vienna This boycott was not easy especially earlier in the week with the Semis but thankfully...

While we're still not happy to see Las Vegas enter the league that doesn't stop us for being happy about their choice for their new general managerClearly Las Vegas has hired someone who knows not just the business side of things but also how to successfully market a product

More than a week after they were announced to be joining the league PWHL Detroit wasted no time in hiring a womens hockey legend as their geeneral managerBut what's interesting is her connection to the Los Angeles Kings who of course are supported by my fellow Purple Trio members Pluto & Lady who are taken aback by the announcement

I am beyond over the moon that my NHL hometown of San Jose has been chosen as the 12th team and final expansion market for this round as the Bay Area begins a brand new era at The TankSan Jose wasn't seen as a contender for expansion to begin with and I definitely did not see it coming hence why I spent the entire day as an emotional wreck All that's left to say is a huge welcome to PWHL S...

The all star weekend isn't what it used to be over in the NHL but you do wonder what might happen if the PWHL wanted to do one especially as we have room in our schedules to do itThe Purple Trio are split as to whether or not we should have a PWHL All Star Weekend as we debate the matter for ourselves and state our cases

While there hasn't been any talks about taking the PWHL outdoors that doesn't stop the Purple Trio from entertaining the idea of a potential futre outdoor gameI personally think we should follow the Heritage Classic route and schedule one every few years to avoid the novelty wearing off as it has done so in the NHL

Following on from our last episode we pick up from the breaking story from Czechia as Carla's replacement has been confirmed as fellow PWHL coach Brian IdalskiIt's interesting move given where Czechia are right now but he has got form as he was with China's national team when they hosted the Winter Olympics and he has plenty of experience coaching women's hockey

Some unexpected news on the iyernational scene as Carla MacLeod will not be returning as the coach of Czechia's national women's team with immediate effectThis is an absolute shock and I'm left speechless as Carla totally transformed Czechia into a nation who could be seen as a potential medals contender

They did not throw away their shot as all of Hamilton's efforts back on the Takeover Tour work as they were chosen as the sole canadian city in this round of expansionThe entire Purple Trio couldn't be more happy as there are so many opportunities with a brand new hockey market like Hamilton especially as their color scheme is not only unique but beautiful at the same timeA word of warning...

Out of nowhere Las Vegas put themselves into the conversation to become the league's tenth franchise and they did not arrive with good intentionsI already have a personal grudge against Las Vegas after all they are the Sarks archnemesis and they took my MLB team from Oakland

Both the Vancouver Goldeneyes & Seattle Torrent have completed their first ever seasons and despite high expectations neither lived up to the high standards that they were perceived to meetIn this episode the entire Purple Trio come together to go through what they think were some of the many factors that contributed to both teams performances

Over in the NCAA there is a brand new rule change coming into effect next year as students will be able to have an extra year of eligibility This could have an alarming impact for the future draft pools for the PWHL in terms of the entry draft and gives a better understanding and sense of urgency for the league to expand to four teams right now

So we now know that for this next round of expansion the league will not use a typical expansion draft to build the rosters for its new teams and on today's show the Purple Trio share their thoughts about the changes ahead

At their press launch PWHL Detroit was revealed to be hosting the 2026 edition of the Awards and Entry Draft on June 16 & 17 2026This should be an amazing moment for a new market but for me I smell favouritism over the current markets who have yet to host these events and for the potential further three who will join Detroit in this round

It's official as the most diehard market that wanted to land a PWHL team has got their wish as Detroit kicks off the second round of expansion becoming the ninth team to enter the PWHLThe entire Purple Trio couldn't be happier for Hockeytown however I do take this oppertunity to air out my reservations in regards to their primary venueWELCOME DETROIT!!!

Last time I took you through the five process the league will use it the next round of expansion and today you are going to hear the thoughts of the entire Purple Trio on how we feel about this new way of building the rosters

On May 3 the format for how the PWHL will go about the roster building process in its next cycle of expansion was revealed as a five stage processIt took me two reads but I understood it in the end and so on today's show I take you through it phase by phase

Unlike other sports leagues the PWHL has a unique way to stop teams from tanking and that is the Gold Plan which sees teams earn Draft Order points when they are mathematically eliminated from playoffsHowever thanks to the league's parity we haven't been able to have a proper Gold Plan race and that has given Pluto an idea which I'm not sure about

On April 17th 2026 during the Montreal Victoire's Pride Night the PWHL hit another almighty milestone as they hit one million fans in attendance in a single seasonThis is an incredible moment as the 2025/26 season has seen us go above and beyond in terms of our growth and what makes this even more special is that the Purple Trio's footprints are on that statistic

The PWHL Expansion process is in a mess so I believe its time to look elsewhere in particular the WNBA who seems to have a rock solid system on how to handle the rapid rate of expansionTheir proposals could help in terms of markets like Chicago & Calgary who on paper look like the perfect fits but have a lot of hurdles before they can land teams in the PWHL

With the Walter Cup Playoffs now in full swing the first two set of awards have been handed out both of them going to our very own Kelly PannekShe has had an amazing season leading the league in terms of goals and points and should be the top contender for MVP if it wasn't for two pesky netminders