PWHL Adds 2 Franchises in Las Vegas and Hamilton for Next Season
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 13
PWHL Adds 2 Franchises in Las Vegas and Hamilton for Next Season
12 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 13
Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario, will join the Professional Women's Hockey League next season, giving the league two more expansion clubs on top of a previously announced team in Detroit.
The move follows strong early traction for the PWHL and rapid local growth in the sport: Hamilton sits in one of the world's most concentrated women's and girls' hockey regions, while Las Vegas has seen female participation jump 600% since 2017.
PWHL Hamilton will play at TD Coliseum, and PWHL Las Vegas will use T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL's Golden Knights.
The additions push the league beyond its current eight teams in Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver, broadening its reach outside the northern U.S. and Canada.
The expansion comes as the league's Walter Cup Final between Ottawa and Montreal is about to begin, underscoring how quickly the young circuit is growing.
Can a women's hockey league born in the north truly conquer the Las Vegas desert without diluting its on-ice talent?
With team values soaring, is the PWHL's single-owner model a masterstroke for stability or a ticking clock on future growth?
Why must the PWHL’s future stars sacrifice their college eligibility, a choice their male counterparts in the NHL never face?