PWHL announces expansion to Hamilton, will start in 2026-27
The fastest-rising league in professional sports is coming to Steeltown.
On Wednesday, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced it is expanding to Hamilton, Ont., with the team set to begin play in the 2026-27 season.
Hamilton is the 11th franchise in league history and the third expansion team announced in a little over a week. Last Wednesday, the league revealed that Detroit will get a team next season, with Las Vegas also being announced this week.
“The Hammer” wasn’t quite an odds-on favorite for future expansion heading into the past season. However, the turnout for the Takeover Tour game changed the outlook. 16,012 fans clamored inside the TD Coliseum to see the Toronto Sceptres and Seattle Torrent. With the Takeover Tour logo at center ice, it truly made the PWHL’s debut in Hamilton one to remember. It instilled the idea that the city could be an honest option for expansion.
The new team won’t be the only tenant at the TD Coliseum. The National Lacrosse League’s Toronto Rock have called the arena home since 2021, and the New York Islanders‘ AHL affiliate is relocating to Hamilton as well. The team’s official colors are gold, maroon, and cream, with the gold paying homage to the black & gold colors that have been represented by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, as well as the old Hamilton Tigers of the NHL.
Hamilton definitely has ties to women’s hockey. The U.S. and Canadian National Teams played an exhibition game in 2001, while big names like Sarah Nurse and Renata Fast are natives to the populous city.
Hamilton, Detroit, and Las Vegas aren’t the only teams joining the PWHL in 2026-27, as one more franchise is reportedly set to be added in the near future.
The franchise doesn’t have long before it can do business. The team will be able to start signing players in the coming weeks in a revamped expansion roster-building format, with the 2026 PWHL Draft taking place in Detroit on June 17.