Pro Women's Hockey League says it could add as many as two teams for 2025-26 season

Expansion is connected nan array for nan six-team Professional Women’s Hockey League, and executives aren’t placing limitations connected which North American markets they’ll see successful a bid to adhd arsenic galore arsenic 2 franchises for nan 2025-26 season.

The only certainty is simply a imagination of nan timing being correct to build connected nan support the PWHL generated successful its inaugural year, and nan maturation nan convention projects entering its 2nd season, which opens connected Nov. 30.

“I don’t deliberation we norm retired immoderate market,” elder vice president of lucky operations Jayna Hefford told The Associated Press connected Tuesday. “This is simply a bully opportunity for america to study and proceed to explore. So everything’s connected nan array correct now.”

To reenforce really open-ended nan PWHL’s description hunt will be, elder VP for business operations Amy Scheer told nan AP nan convention has targeted much than 20 markets to beryllium issued requests for proposals for description by adjacent week. And that doesn’t see further markets that mightiness attack nan convention for consideration.

“I deliberation we want to beryllium an unfastened book, and I deliberation we want to beryllium unfastened to things that we haven’t thought astir aliases things that we haven’t considered,” Scheer said. “Until we person nan information and nan facts and nan conversations, we mightiness beryllium surprised. So let’s spell for it.”

The first timeline calls for requests for proposals to beryllium returned by nan extremity of December to find liking earlier assessing each market. Though nan extremity is adding 2 teams by adjacent year, Hefford and Scheer would not perpetrate to that being a certainty.

Scheer said surface science won’t beryllium a limitation for a convention that presently has teams based successful Boston; Newark, New Jersey; St. Paul, Minnesota; Toronto; Montreal; and Ottawa, Ontario. Neither will a market’s affiliation pinch an NHL team, though some aspects will beryllium considered.

The only factors to thief guideline nan search, Scheer said, will beryllium marketplace size, entree to facilities, economical business opportunities and instrumentality guidelines potential.

Hefford wouldn’t norm retired considering Southern California aliases Seattle arsenic possibilities, saying: “This is simply a bully opportunity for america to study and proceed to explore.”

Two imaginable candidates are Detroit and Pittsburgh, where nan PWHL played neutral-site games past season. Nine much neutral-site games are scheduled for this season, though nan convention has yet to opportunity wherever they’ll beryllium held.

In nan U.S., Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia would beryllium regarded arsenic candidates aft some were antecedently considered, pinch Chicago and Denver besides options.

In Canada, Quebec City already has announced its volition of being a candidate. Calgary would beryllium a imaginable option, pinch nan metropolis antecedently being location to nan Inferno from 2011 to 2019, earlier nan Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded.

The timing for description comes pinch nan convention having a afloat offseason to drawback its corporate activity aft having six period past twelvemonth to fundamentally commencement from scratch to unfastened play connected Jan. 1. The PWHL sewage its commencement successful precocious June 2023, erstwhile Los Angeles Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter agreed to finance nan convention while buying retired its North American competitor, nan Premier Hockey Federation.

The PWHL averaged astir 5,500 fans complete 72 regular-season games and group a women’s pro lucky grounds for attendance, pinch 21,105 turning retired for a crippled betwixt Toronto and Montreal held astatine nan NHL's Canadiens' location arena. The convention reached sponsorship deals pinch companies including Scotiabank, Air Canada, Discover and Hyundai, while having each crippled broadcast successful section markets on pinch a streaming authorities woody pinch YouTube, which drew 113,000 subscribers.

Just arsenic important is really description would reside an contiguous request successful opening roster spots to beryllium filled by a increasing number of European players seeking to compete successful North America, and nan adjacent harvest of U.S. assemblage graduates. In June, 167 players representing 19 countries declared being eligible for a seven-round draught successful which conscionable 42 were selected.

“The talent excavation is only going to proceed to grow,” Hefford said.

The PWHL is centrally controlled, pinch each squad operated by nan league. There’s semipermanent stableness pinch Walter committing hundreds of millions of dollars to build nan convention and pinch players moving nether an eight-year corporate bargaining statement moving done July 2031.

This play features an expanded schedule pinch each squad playing 30 games, up from 24 past year. Beyond this season, Scheer said nan convention is considering holding an outdoor crippled arsenic good arsenic playing games successful Europe.

Expansion was ever nether consideration, though Scheer stressed nan convention is taking a diligent approach.

“We will make nan correct decisions based connected maturation for hockey, financial decisions, what is nan champion measurement to move forward,” she said. “Nobody present is making rash decisions.”

Hefford wouldn’t norm retired early rounds of description , without saying really galore teams would beryllium perfect for a convention still successful its early stages.

“We cognize we want to grow,” Hefford said. “But I person a really difficult clip throwing retired a number correct now.”

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