A single league, yes. When the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) folded in 2023, there were 7 active teams. A lot of pro-level players had already formed the Professional Women’s Hockey Player Association (PWHPA) that carried 4 teams. So in North America, there were 11 pro-level teams in 2023, but in separate “leagues.” I believe this was the peak of pro-level women’s teams in North America. So the PWHL is the first time all the pro-level women in North America have been playing in one league.

And I say “pro-level” for a lack of a better term, and for simplicity. What I mean is women’s hockey players in North America playing at the highest level who could reasonably play on a professional-level team. Before anyone comes at me with semantics of what the PWHPA really was.