The team was established in 2015 as one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which became the PHF in 2021.

Their name and colors paid homage to the Hartford Whalers, a former NHL and WHA franchise based in Connecticut.

Chris Ardito was hired as the first general manager in franchise history,[3] while Jake Mastel and Lisa Giovanelli coached the team.

[8] On August 20, 2018, the Whale named active player Cydney Roesler an assistant coach for the 2018–19 season making her the first player-coach in franchise history.

[11] The team was eliminated in the semifinal game by the Boston Pride, the eventual league titlist, prior to the championship being cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Metropolitan Riveters were forced to withdraw from the two-week season on January 28 after several members of the organization tested positive for COVID-19.

The next day, the team forfeited their final game to the Minnesota Whitecaps and withdrew from the playoffs[13] citing concerns with increased positive cases within the bubble and protecting their players from the virus.

[15] The league then rescheduled the playoffs to be held at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts, with the Whale re-entered as the third seed to face the Minnesota Whitecaps, who they would have faced regardless of the outcome of the game the Whale withdrew from in Lake Placid, in a semifinal game.

[17][18] On June 29, 2023, it was announced that the PHF and its assets had been purchased as part of a bid to create a new, unified women's professional league.