PWHL at end of potential expansion ‘evaluation phase’, to make decision in 4-6 weeks

We might be closing in on a growing Professional Women’s Hockey League footprint.

During a media availability on Thursday, Amy Scheer, executive vice president of business operations for the PWHL, stated that the league has been scouting for future markets for expansion and that there might be an announcement on any additional teams soon.

“Right now, we’re really at the end of the evaluation phase,” Scheer said. “So, my guess is somewhere over the next four to six weeks, we will have something to say whether we go ahead with it or not…we’re preparing the final evaluations right now.”

The topic of expansion surrounding the second-year league has been ongoing since year one. With the success of a few neutral-site games last season, coinciding with the massive boom of interest during the first half of this season’s Takeover Tour, the rumblings of new franchises has grown mightily.

It was Scheer who said back in October that the PWHL is considering adding one or two teams for the 2025-26 season. The Takeover Tour has been sort of an audition for certain markets to see general interest in the league and whether or not there is enough support from the potential fanbase to make a new team sustainable in the long run.

Scheer gave a little hint that the league is preparing for the addition of new teams. When asked if there would be an expansion draft, she confirmed work is already being done behind the scenes by executive vice president of hockey operations, Jayna Hefford.

“We’ll certainly have an Expansion Draft. Jayna and her team have been working on that.”

While adding two teams would be great for fans that might not be near the original six markets, Scheer recognizes expansion will come at a cost.

“Adding two teams adds logistics, but we’ve got great people here who will make a schedule that makes sense for the players and will coordinate travel that makes sense for the players. So we’re prepared if the decision is made to expand. We are 100 percent prepared to get in those markets and tackle everything that we need to do to stand up a couple teams to be as successful as our current six.”

The Takeover Tour has seen fans show up in droves to games so far. Games in Quebec City, Vancouver, and Edmonton sold out, and there were excellent turnouts in Seattle and Denver. The game between the Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost on Jan. 12 in Denver broke the U.S. women’s professional hockey attendance record, with 14,018 piling into Ball Arena for an exciting game between two of the league’s best teams.

There are still four more stops on the tour. While ticket sales look promising for the March 16 game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, one of the markets the PWHL considered for its original six. However, ticket sales for the Feb. 23 game in Buffalo and the March 7 contest in Raleigh have been less than ideal.

With the evaluation period seemingly done, it seems that the league is seeking to expand westward. Seattle has been a consistent supporter of women’s hockey and women’s sports in general, while Vancouver had one of the best crowds we’ve seen all season in the PWHL. I wouldn’t be shocked if those were the markets at the top of the league’s list.