PWHL Adds San Jose in 2026-27 Four-Team Expansion to 12 Clubs

The Professional Women’s Hockey League will expand to California next season, adding San Jose as part of a four-team expansion that will bring the league to 12 clubs in its fourth season. San Jose joins Las Vegas, Detroit, and Hamilton, Ontario, as new franchises for the 2026-27 campaign, completing a round of expansion announcements that league officials had said would increase the league by two to four teams.

San Jose’s franchise will play out of the SAP Center, home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, and train at Sharks Ice. The bid was led by Sharks Sports and Entertainment and the City of San Jose. The expansion brings the PWHL’s total to five teams in Canada and seven in the United States, ending the even split between the two countries that existed in the league’s first three seasons. Hamilton is the only new Canadian team and will play at the recently renovated 18,000-seat TD Coliseum.

“Between a deeply rooted hockey culture, rapidly booming women’s sports scene, and a community known for growth and innovation, San Jose offers a dynamic stage for the PWHL to expand its reach and build lasting momentum,” said Amy Scheer, the league’s executive vice president of business...