PWHL continues West Coast expansion, adding franchise in Seattle
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is expanding its footprint on the west coast of North America by adding a franchise in Seattle ahead of the next season. This new team will join Vancouver as the first two expansion teams in the league, bringing the total number of teams to eight.
The decision to add a team in Seattle was based on the city’s rich history of supporting women’s sports, a growing youth hockey community, and access to top-notch facilities. Jayna Hefford, the league’s executive vice president of hockey operations, highlighted Seattle’s strong support for women’s hockey at both the international and local levels.
Seattle has already shown its commitment to women’s sports by hosting events like the Rivalry Series and the PWHL’s Takeover Tour game, which drew over 12,600 fans at Climate Pledge Arena earlier this year. The addition of a PWHL team will complement the city’s existing women’s professional teams, including the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NWSL’s Seattle Reign FC.
The new Seattle team will play its games at Climate Pledge Arena and train at the Kraken Community Iceplex, providing state-of-the-art facilities for the players. The team will be owned by Mark and Kimbra Walter, in partnership with the Kraken and the Oak View Group, which operates Climate Pledge Arena.
With the addition of Seattle and Vancouver, the PWHL now spans from west to east across North America, with teams in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, the New York area, and Minnesota. The league is committed to maintaining a high level of competition and ensuring that the new teams are competitive from day one.
As the league prepares for the upcoming season, it will focus on finalizing rules for an expansion draft to fill out the rosters of the new teams. The league also plans to announce where the new teams will pick in the entry draft, which is scheduled for June 24 in Ottawa. Additionally, the league will need to hire hockey operations and business staff for the new teams before the start of the season.
Despite the expansion, the league plans to maintain its current playoff format, with four teams qualifying for the postseason. The league is confident that it can successfully navigate the challenges of scheduling with the addition of two new teams and international breaks for events like the Olympics and world championship.
With the addition of Seattle and Vancouver, the PWHL is poised for continued growth and success as it aims to showcase the best talent in women’s hockey and provide a professional and competitive environment for its players. Fans can look forward to an exciting season ahead as the league continues to raise the bar for women’s sports.
