PWHL preparing for expansion as early as 2025-26 season, could add up to 2 teams

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is preparing to expand beyond its six existing markets, potentially as early as the 2025-26 season.

The league will issue a request for proposal to explore potential locations for new teams across the US and Canada, Amy Scheer, the PWHL’s senior vice president of business operations, announced at the espnW summit on Tuesday.

The PWHL, which launched in January 2024, currently has teams in Boston, Toronto, Minnesota, New York, Ottawa and Montreal. It will now be exploring the addition of up to two teams.

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Planning for potential expansion at this stage in the league’s existence — its second season will begin November 30 — marks a significant change. During the inaugural season, league leadership tapped the brakes when asked about potential expansion, instead putting a focus on hosting neutral site games such as those in Pittsburgh and Detroit last season, with more to come in 2024-25.

“Every market we go in, it’s an opportunity for us to understand what that market looks like and to expose our league to a new market,” said PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford during a February conference call. “Somewhere down the road expansion will be contemplated, but in advance of Season 2, I would say no to those things.”

This story will be updated.

(Photo: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)