PWHL adds two expansion franchises as new markets offer unique value

The GIST: The PWHL is getting bigger and better…literally. After adding an expansion franchise in Detroit last week, the league announced new teams in Hamilton, ON, and Las Vegas, NV, yesterday. If those cities weren’t on your bingo card, you wouldn’t be alone — but each market brings its own value to the league. Feeling pucky.

Hamilton: A newcomer to the PWHL Takeover Tour, the Ontario city welcomed 16K when the PWHL came to town — the fourth-highest attendance in tour history at the time. Since then, Hamilton’s been considered a potential expansion market, even though there’s already a team in nearby Toronto and Hamilton only has about 650K residents.

• The league’s data showed 70% of the fans at January’s game were at their first PWHL game. A Hamilton team likely won’t take fans away from the Toronto market, and now, there’s another fun local rivalry — something that’s benefitted expansions in Seattle and Vancouver. But what really helped them win the bid? New digs.

Las Vegas: Interestingly, Las Vegas was not a stop on any of the league’s three Takeover Tours, but the PWHL is betting on the market because of its strong community engagement. Since 2017 — when the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights first came to town — hockey participation among girls and women in Nevada has surged 600% (though it was still only about 500 players in 2024–25).

• Vegas is becoming an attractive sports market period, boasting WNBA and NFL teams before landing an F1 contract and NBA franchise consideration. With four major league teams arriving in the last decade, it’s considered the fastest-growing pro sports market.

Zooming out: The Takeover Tour is clearly an effective tool to gauge market strength, but choosing Las Vegas proves it’s not the only one. And though the NWSL and WNBA prefer experienced owners when expanding, the PWHL has a single-entity ownership structure, so markets are more important than ownership. Everyone clearly wants the same thing: A good place to play and a city that shows out, no matter the size.