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The Professional Women's Hockey League, or PWHL, is expanding, as the league announced plans to bring in two new teams. By the time the 2025-2026 season rolls around, Senior VP of Business Operations Amy Scheer expects to have two more teams in the league. It is an ambitious plan to further expand the sport of women's hockey across the country.
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Expansion for sports leagues happens every now and then. Technically, the Utah Hockey Club is an expansion team, though they sort of came out of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes franchise.
Nevertheless, hockey fans are thrilled to see the PWHL expand even further and are excited about what it means for the sport. They're also interested to see which two cities end up with new teams.
"Expanding the PWHL is a huge step forward for women's sports! Proud to see this growth!" one exclaimed.
"Philly needs a PWHL and WNBA team bad," another said.
"More teams mean more talent and more competition! Can't wait for the 2025-26 season!" another added.
"Adding two more teams for the 2025-26 season is a huge step for women’s hockey. Can’t wait to see how this expansion boosts the league and provides more opportunities for players!" one said.
Overall, fans are excited to see what the future holds for women's hockey and women's sports in general.
PWHL VP confirms expansion plans
The VP of Business Operations at the Professional Women's Hockey League has been asked plenty about expansion. Finally, Amy Scheer confirmed the reports.
Via The Hockey News, she said:
“Expansion is the first question we get asked, at every event we’re at. It just seems like the right time to look into it. And I think once we have these conversations and understand what the real interest is, we’ll understand if this is the right time or not. But it was the right time to put the word out.”
The league is reportedly considering "market size and media reach...available facilities and infrastructure...local economic opportunity and corporate sponsorship leads, and...community fan base, and youth hockey presence" as factors in their search for the two new cities.
