The Professional Women's Hockey League is Coming to Vancouver in 2025
Vancouver hockey and women's sports fans rejoice! The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) just announced that it will expand its original lineup with a brand new Vancouver-based franchise set to begin play with the 2025-26 season.
This expansion marks the city’s continuing status as a leading home for both women's professional sports and a global destination for world-class athletic competitions.
The PWHL
The PWHL, which is in the middle of its second season, was established in 2023 and kicked off play last year as the premier women's professional ice hockey league in North America.
Vancouver's addition to the PWHL's founding markets of the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montréal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, and Toronto Sceptres marks a significant milestone as the new league establishes its first West Coast destination for its upcoming third season.
The Vancouver team will join the league through an Expansion Draft of players selected from the other existing franchises sometime before the scheduled 2025 PWHL Entry Draft in Ottawa on June 24.
PWHL Vancouver
While the team will receive a permanent brand name to reflect Vancouver's proud hockey culture at a later date, the team revealed its primary colours will be Pacific blue and cream to reflect our Pacific Northwest surroundings. Until then, the women's team will be known as "PWHL Vancouver."
The currently unnamed hockey club will call the historic Pacific Coliseum the original home of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks for twenty-five years, its home venue. With a practice facility conveniently located nearby at the PNE Agrodome.
Ahead of the team’s inaugural season, both the Coliseum and Agrodome will undergo major upgrades to their locker rooms and training facilities to meet professional standards with enhanced technology and broadcast capabilities. However, the hockey arena's classic charm will remain.
PWHL Expansion
The decision to expand to Vancouver follows an enthusiastic response to the PWHL Takeover Tour that included a tour-high, sold-out crowd of over 19,000 fans at Rogers Arena on Jan. 8, establishing the city as an obvious choice for expansion.
The PWHL also plans to extend its community efforts in Vancouver hockey circles by hosting camps, clinics, and other events to grow the game while fostering connections between the team and its local fans.
PWHL Vancouver's announcement comes on the heels of the Vancouver Rise FC women's soccer team's first game at Swanguard Stadium in the brand new Northern Super League, the top division in the Canadian soccer league system, that kicked off earlier this week.
The 2025-26 PWHL campaign will mark a historic inaugural season set to begin this fall, with a full schedule to be released in late summer.
To place a deposit and secure priority access to season tickets, visit the PWHL's website.