Six-team PWHL selects Vancouver as its 1st expansion franchise with 2nd city to be determined

By Canadian Press on April 23, 2025.

The PWHL is heading west by selecting Vancouver as its first expansion franchise on Wednesday as part of the six-team league’s objective to broaden its reach across North America.

“This is a significant milestone for the PWHL and for the growth of women’s hockey,” vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said. “It’s a great celebration that we are growing, a tribute to the success we’ve had to date … and such a great moment for our sport and certainly our league.”

And the addition of a second expansion team — with Seattle a candidate — is on the horizon, vice president of business operations Amy Scheer told The Associated Press.

“While some might say Seattle is the obvious shoe to drop, that doesn’t mean that’s what we’re going to do,” Scheer said of pairing the two Pacific Northwest markets.

“So we’ll see what the following weeks or months bring,” she added, while saying it would be reasonable to expect the PWHL to expand by two teams for the start of next season.

Though the league is targeting Seattle, an agreement has not been finalized, a person with knowledge of the discussions told the AP and spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks are private. Should a deal not be reached, the PWHL would consider other markets, the person said, with Denver and Detroit serving as likely candidates.

The addition of Vancouver represents a major milestone for a league that’s brought together the sport’s top players since being established in June 2023 and is in the midst of completing its second season.

Though Detroit was regarded as a prime expansion market, the PWHL looked west in taking the next step toward evolving into a true North American league beyond its concentration of five northeastern-based teams — Boston, New York, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto — and one in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Vancouver became an obvious choice over the six months since the PWHL announced it was preparing to evaluate more than 20 markets in a bid to expand by as many as two franchises.

Aside from being Canada’s third-largest city with a large corporate base to serve as potential league sponsors, Vancouver is enjoying growth among its youth girls hockey programs and features ready-made sites to host home games and serve as a practice facility.

The yet-to-be named franchise will play out of the Pacific Coliseum, former home to the NHL’s Canucks, with the team practicing at the Agrodome. Both are located on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds east of the city’s downtown, and easily accessible by a major highway connecting Vancouver’s suburbs.

Another boost in Vancouver’s favor came in January, when the PWHL’s Takeover Tour neutral site game generated a crowd of 19,038 — the fourth-largest turnout in league history.

Scheer noted fan engagement on social media leading up to the game was the largest for any of the PWHL’s 11 Takeover Tour events. She also cited 70% of those in attendance were making first-time visits to the Canucks current home, Rogers Arena.

“We think we’ve got a pretty significant fan base out of B.C. that will come to our games,” Scheer said. “So we really think they checked off all the boxes.”

Another plus was the interest expressed by local officials to land a team.

“The passion for women’s hockey and today’s announcement shows that Vancouver is ready to lead that charge on the west coast,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said.

The team will initially go by PWHL Vancouver, and its colors will be Pacific blue and cream. The PWHL plans to announce the date of an expansion draft and how Vancouver will be integrated into its entry draft on June 24 at a later time.

Expansion coincides with a talented group of college and European prospects expected to join the PWHL over the next two years. It’s a group that includes Wisconsin senior Casey O’Brien, college hockey’s MVP last season, and the Wisconsin junior tandem of Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards.

“It adds just another reason why this is the right move now. The depth of talent is really good,” Hefford said, noting expansion also opens more opportunities to develop coaches and support staff.

For Hefford, Vancouver’s selection brings back a host of memories. In attending the Takeover stop in Vancouver, the former Canadian women’s national team star was joined by former teammate Charline Labonte, and Canucks assistant GMs, Cammi Granato and Émilie Castonguay.

“Vancouver really stood out as a great hockey market,” said Hefford, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. “I think we had an inkling that it was a market that we felt really positive about and were excited about learning more.”

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Games is also where Hefford won her third of four Olympic gold medals.

“I think those Vancouver Games left a real imprint on Canadians for many reasons,” Hefford said, noting Canada won a then-record Winter Games record of 26 medals, including gold for the men’s hockey team. “I just think that was such a pivotal moment for our country, and to be able to bring the PWHL there is something we’re all very excited about.”

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AP Women’s Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

John Wawrow, The Associated Press

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