The PWHL’s expansion plans for 2026-27 season were about “finding the correct ingredients,” but the league did “not operate the PWHL Takeover Tour for expansion purposes," according to Ian Kennedy of THE HOCKEY NEWS. The Takeover Tour “grows the league’s fan base, sells more tickets than average games, benefits broadcasting, and sells merchandise; all crucial components of the league’s business plan.” But no market “deserved an expansion team simply because of Takeover Tour attendance.” Choosing suitable markets was “about far more than selling tickets.” Some markets, like Calgary and D.C., were “never contenders for PWHL expansion despite strong showings on the Takeover Tour at the box office.” Calgary did not submit a bid. But others, like D.C., have “openly said they won’t have a PWHL team until the league’s single-entity ownership model changes and they can own a franchise.” Canadian fans were “vocally upset about getting only one new franchise,” while watching the U.S. get three new teams in this round of PWHL expansion. But the PWHL is “about where the game is going,” with women’s and girls’ hockey “growing exponentially” in the U.S. The PWHL also “needs a national broadcasting deal” in the U.S., so they “needed to focus on their footprint on the United States.” The Takeover Tour will “continue next season,” but the league has “no intention to expand again after next season.” There are already discussions “underway for markets with no intention to join the league in the immediate future looking to host two, or even three Takeover Tour games” (THE HOCKEY NEWS, 5/20).
WHAT COMES NEXT: THE ATHLETIC’s Hailey Salvian wrote amid the celebration of the Montreal Victoire becoming the first-ever Canadian winner of the PWHL title, it was “easy to forget, just for a moment, that the PWHL is undergoing a major transformation this offseason.” Soon, the PWHL will welcome four new expansion franchises in Detroit, Las Vegas, Hamilton and San Jose, which “will increase its size to 12 teams spread more widely across North America.” The league “could soon be split into two conferences, or multiple divisions,” with a schedule “designed to maximize rivalries and limit any travel concerns that might come with a larger footprint.” The looming expansion roster-building process means “another summer of player movement that will more greatly impact players making league minimum,” which will be around $38,245 in 2026-27, and a “second straight league-wide shakeup.” There is a “concern that introducing so many new teams might negatively impact the product.” But the league has “been confident that won’t be the case” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/21).
