The PWHL has announced two more expansion franchises. Once again, this information had been rumored across social media for several days before being officially announced by the league on Wednesday, May 13.
The Las Vegas introductory press conference is scheduled for today, Wednesday, at 1 P.M. Pacific / 4 P.M. Eastern at T-Mobile Arena. The Hamilton press conference is scheduled of Thursday, May 14 at 10:30 A.M. at TD Coliseum. Both conferences can be watched via livestream on the PWHL's homepage or YouTube channel:
The yet-to-be-named teams will hit the ice for the upcoming 2026-2027 season.
Las Vegas is expected to play at T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, who were a part of this expansion effort. PWHL Las Vegas will train at America First Center in Henderson, Nevada, home of the AHL Henderson Silver Knights.
The league release cites the accessibility and infrastructure of Las Vegas as reasons for the choice to expansion there, as well as the surge of interest and participation in hockey since the NHL's Golden Knights inaugural season nine years ago. It also references the success of the NBA’s Las Vegas Aces as proof of support for women's sports in the city.
Hamilton will play at the TD Coliseum. Details about where they will practice will be revealed at their press conference Thursday.
Despite being in the Greater Toronto Area, the league is banking on Hamilton being a unique market. Per the league release, "of Hamilton Takeover Tour ticket buyers, more than 70% were purchasing their first PWHL game ticket, underscoring the league’s opportunity to reach a distinct audience, even with the presence of Ontario’s two other PWHL teams."
Located on the far southwest corner of Lake Ontario, the PWHL says the Hamilton area has "one of the largest and most concentrated areas in the world for girls’ hockey participation" and that more than 15% of current PWHL players hail from the area.
“Hamilton and its surrounding communities have long been central to the growth of girls’ and women’s hockey, producing generations of talented players and passionate fans,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.
As part of the announcement, the league shared that Hamilton’s official team colors are gold, maroon, and cream. "Gold is a hat tip to the uniforms worn by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the former NHL Hamilton Tigers, while maroon pays homage to Steeltown by representing the color of aged steel."
Las Vegas’ official team colors are green and golden yellow. The green is a muted, earthy tone. Per the release, the colors are "inspired by the natural tones of Southern Nevada: green and gold. While Las Vegas is known for The Strip, the area is beloved by the community for its natural surroundings. Green and golden yellow represent the beauty of the desert and mountains that encircle Las Vegas, while gold is a nod to the glamour of what makes Vegas, Vegas, and, of course, the Golden Knights."
“From the staggering growth of youth hockey participation to the passionate support for the Golden Knights and Aces, the Las Vegas community has enthusiastically embraced both hockey and women’s sports. While professional women’s hockey may be new to the market, we know Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President, Business Operations.
It's unclear in what order they'll number them, but Hamilton and Las Vegas become the 10th and 11th teams in the PWHL. The league has said they will add four teams this offseason - Detroit was announced last week.
