The league wants 12 teams in 2026-2027.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League will have at least 11 teams in 2026-2027 and more than likely a 12th team will be added in the very near future. The league, which is a single-owned entity by Mark Walter, has added three markets, Detroit, Las Vegas and in Canada, Hamilton, Ontario. Detroit is a traditional hockey market which serves both Michigan and Ontario with Windsor a significant part of the fan base. Las Vegas seems to be a destination that all leagues want to be in. Hamilton is part of the Toronto market which is a major hockey area.
The PWHL started operations in 2024 with six teams in Toronto, in Ottawa, in Montréal, in Boston, in the New York City area and in St. Paul, Minnesota. The league added teams in Seattle and in Vancouver in 2025. The Boston team doesn’t play in Boston. It plays at UMass-Lowell, which is about 30 miles north of downtown Boston. Attendance has been mediocre as the building is away from Boston and Providence, Rhode Island where there is significant population. Ottawa could have an arena problem and two months ago Ottawa Charge officials were unhappy with planned renovations in the Ottawa building the team uses that would significantly reduce the venue’s seating capacity. The team has used the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators’ home in Kanata, Ontario for the PWHL playoffs and people have shown up for the PWHL games at the NHL rink. The New York metropolitan arena has been a problem for the league in part due to finding a permanent venue to use. The Sirens franchise did not work out in Bridgeport, Connecticut nor in Elmont, New York at the New York Islanders franchise building. The Newark NHL Devils’ arena houses the team. The PWHL is adding markets but does the PWHL have sustainable? That question needs to be answered.
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