Ice Dream: PWHL Adds Las Vegas, Hamilton Ontario To Burgeoning Blueprint
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 06:08PM By Barry Janoff
UPDATED May 15, 2026: Via The Hockey News: The PWHL will reach their four-team expansion goal with PWHL San Jose, the final addition ahead of the 2026-27 season, which the league is expected to officially announce on Tuesday (May 19). PWHL San Jose will join Detroit, Las Vegas, and Hamilton as the newest franchises in the burgeoning league's catalogue.
The final expansion announcement brings the PWHL to 12 teams for the 2026-27 season including Boston, New York, Minnesota, Detroit, Las Vegas, Seattle and San Jose in the USA. Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Vancouver are the Canadian markets.
May 13, 2026: Proclaiming “Hello Fabulous Las Vegas” and “It’s Hammer Time,” the PWHL has unveiled plans to expand to Las Vegas and Hamilton, ON for the 2026-27 season.
The move comes on the heels of last week’s PWHL decision to expand to Detroit, also for the 2026-27 season.
The strategy adds Detroit, Las Vegas and Hamilton to the PWHL’s eight current markets: Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Toronto and 2025-26 expansion teams Seattle and Vancouver.
The PWHL and all of its teams are owned by the Mark Walter Group. The Advisory Board of the PWHL is formed by Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Stan Kasten, and Royce Cohen.
Expansion is expected to continue, with AP Sports reporting the PWHL is preparing to add another team for next season, to give the league 12 clubs in the U.S. and Canada.
PWHL Las Vegas will play its home games in T-Mobile Arena, home to the NHL Golden Knights; while PWHL Hamilton will play in TD Coliseum.
The PWHL said expansion to Hamilton and Las Vegas “recognizes two distinct markets and opportunities for the league.
“Hamilton boasts one of the largest and most concentrated areas in the world for girls’ hockey participation, with a community that has rallied for a professional hockey team of their own for generations, while Las Vegas is North America’s entertainment mecca and home to a community that has proudly adopted and embraced hockey and women’s sports.”
According to Amy Scheer, PWHL evp-business operations, via the league, “From the staggering growth of youth hockey participation to the passionate support for the Golden Knights and (WNBA Las Vegas) Aces, the Las Vegas community has enthusiastically embraced both hockey and women’s sports.
“While professional women’s hockey may be new to the market, we know Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own This new team will be Las Vegas Valley-born and reflect the identity of its bold, welcoming, and resilient community, with athletes ready to put on a show and build a passionate following across the region.
“Thank you to the Golden Knights for helping lay the foundation for hockey in Las Vegas, and to MGM Resorts International for the warm welcome to the ice at T-Mobile Arena."
Regarding the move to Hamilton, now the league’s fifth Canada-based club, the PWHL said “fan fervor for professional women’s hockey in Hamilton was on full display when 16,012 fans came out for the PWHL’s visit for the 2026 Takeover Tour stop at TD Coliseum on Jan. 3 — the third-largest Takeover Tour crowd of the season and one of the Top 20 attendances in league history.”
The league said that of Hamilton Takeover Tour ticket buyers, more than 70% were purchasing their first PWHL game ticket, “underscoring the league’s opportunity to reach a distinct audience, even with the presence of Ontario’s two other PWHL teams (Ottawa, Toronto).”
“Hamilton and its surrounding communities have long been central to the growth of girls’ and women’s hockey, Jayna Hefford, PWHL evp-hockey operations, said via the league.
“This is a region with deep hockey roots, and the response we saw during our Takeover Tour game at TD Coliseum made it clear that fans in the region are ready to rally around a team of their own. Thank you to Oak View Group and the City of Hamilton for your partnership in bringing the highest level of women’s hockey home to one of the sport’s most dedicated communities.”
Having grown from six to eight teams by adding expansion teams in Vancouver and Seattle this past season, it follows that vital numbers would be up across the board for the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
But the numbers for the 2025-26 season even surpassed PWHL expectations.
The PWHL said in its third season it surpassed one million single-season attendees for the first time, the partnership portfolio grew by 35%, online merchandise sales increased by 50%, and social platforms generated more than 682 million impressions.
The PWHL said details about further expansion, a forthcoming expansion roster building process, and how Detroit, Las Vegass and Hamilton would be integrated into the 2026 PWHL Draft will be shared in the coming weeks.
Detroit will host the 2026 PWHL Awards Ceremony, presented by Ally, June 16, and the 2026 PWHL Draft, presented by Upper Deck, June 17, with the Draft taking place in Fox Theatre as a ticketed event open to fans.
PWHL Numbers Are On The Up-And-Up
PWHL Motors To Detroit; More Expansion, Changes To Follow
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