PWHL adds Las Vegas and Hamilton as its expansion wave keeps building

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is adding franchises in Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario, set to debut in the 2026-27 season, according to TicketNews.

PWHL Las Vegas will play at T-Mobile Arena. PWHL Hamilton takes over TD Coliseum. TicketNews reported that the two clubs follow Detroit in the league’s 2026 expansion class. They join existing markets in Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.

Hamilton already has a crowd on record. A January Takeover Tour stop at TD Coliseum drew 16,012 fans, one of the largest crowds in league history, and more than 70% of ticket buyers were attending their first PWHL game, TicketNews reported. The PWHL’s Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations said that response made it clear “fans in the region are ready to rally around a team of their own.”

Las Vegas gives the league its first team in the American Southwest, in an entertainment market that already knows championship women’s sports through the WNBA’s Aces. The club will have backing from the Vegas Golden Knights’ hockey infrastructure and will train at America First Center in Henderson, according to TicketNews. Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President, Business Operations, said, “we know Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own.”

Neither team has a permanent name or logo yet, but the colors are set. Hamilton will wear gold, maroon and cream, a nod to the city’s football and hockey history and its “Steeltown” identity. Las Vegas goes green and gold, drawn from Southern Nevada’s desert landscape, the surrounding mountains and Vegas’ signature glamour.

Season-ticket deposits are open for both inaugural seasons. TicketNews reported that details on expansion roster construction and how the 2026 PWHL Draft fits in are expected in the coming weeks.

Her take

This is the pairing we would have picked. Hamilton is the proof-of-demand play. When a 16,012-fan night at TD Coliseum had more than 70% of ticket buyers at their first PWHL game, that reads to us as a market waiting for a team, not one being talked into it. Vegas is the visibility play: T-Mobile Arena, a city that has already shown up for the Aces, and Golden Knights hockey infrastructure behind it.

And the colors? Maroon and cream with gold is a jersey we already want to wear to the rink. Green and gold in the desert could be the best-looking kit in the league if the logo lands. Names next, please.