Schedule Announced for Upcoming CWHL Season; Season Tickets On Sale; Poulin, Wickenheiser Entering the Draft

The 2015-16 season is almost upon us. The Canadian Women’s Hockey League full season schedule was unveiled on Tuesday and season tickets went on sale at 9 a.m. Friday. The season is almost upon us.

Opening weekend is set for Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18, with the Boston Blades travelling to Toronto for a two-game series against the Furies and the Brampton Thunder headed east to Montreal for a series against the Stars.

The Calgary Inferno will open their season at home Oct. 24, when they take on reigning Clarkson Cup champions the Boston Blades.

You can find the full schedule here.

Early bird fans can get season tickets, good for the 12 home games of their favorite CWHL team, at last year’s price of $140 until July 31. Starting Aug. 1, season ticket packages will cost $150, a $30 savings over the single-game ticket price of $15. Season tickets are available online at www.CWHL.ca. Single-game tickets will go on sale in the fall.

You can get season tickets for all five CWHL teams here.

The league is also planning several new special events for the 2015-16 season and teams will again be promoting fan appreciation days that will feature giveaways and interaction with many of the top female players from across the continent, and around the globe.

The CWHL Entry Draft takes place Aug. 23 in Toronto, and promises to set the stage for exciting new talent joining the league.

“The 2014-15 season was perhaps the most competitive in the league’s eight-year history,” CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress said. “The regular season standings weren’t finalized until the last weekend of play; it was just that close. With talented young players like Marie-Philip Poulin and Brianne Jenner entering the draft, we are, without a doubt, going to see the same exceptional level of competition this coming season.”

Earlier this week, the league announced that five-time Olympic medallist Hayley Wickenheiser has entered the draft, with the intention of joining the Calgary Inferno.

“We couldn’t be happier about welcoming Wick’s return to professional hockey – her leadership, skill and experience simply cannot be quantified,” Andress said. “Her presence in a CWHL uniform will extend the reach of our game to a whole new group of fans.”

“I look forward to the competition and to playing with, and in some cases against, some of my national teammates,” Wickenheiser said. “It will be a fun and competitive league. It is a great show for the fans to see national players play more than every four years.”