
PWHL plans further expansion, eyes 2026 Olympics to broaden reach in Europe, advisory board member says
As impressive as the PWHL's growth has been less than two years since its launch, with the league blowing past initial attendance and revenue projections, and already into its first phase of expansion, Stan Kasten says you've seen nothing yet.
The league's advisory board member laid out an ambitious vision of the PWHL's future during a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.
Kasten foresees further expansion – beyond the recent additions of Vancouver and Seattle to grow the PWHL to eight teams – within the next few years; the league capitalizing on the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics to broaden its reach internationally; and the prospect of turning a profit by 2031, when the league's current CBA with its players expires.
'By every measure, we're ahead of where we thought we would be. And we never thought we were going to be this niche six-team league in the northeast of North America,' Kasten said.
'Our manifest destiny is a lot more than six. It's a lot more than eight. I don't know how many,' he added. 'My point is, we're going to be a league like every other real major league, and that's our goal. ... We're going to be spread – our footprint will be across this continent and hopefully others as well.'
Without making a firm commitment, Kasten said there was enough interest from major markets that missed out on expansion this year to add even more teams by 2026-27. He said the league will have a better timeline on the next expansion phase based on how smoothly Vancouver and Seattle are incorporated.
'I'll know by midseason what I think we should do and we'll go from there,' he said. 'I don't know if it's the year after or the year after that, but I think it'll be sooner than most people ever imagined.'
What's clearer is the league turning its focus toward Europe to coincide with the Olympics, and a women's hockey tournament predominantly featuring PWHL talent.
Kasten said there have been discussions about playing exhibition games in Europe within the next two years, as well as building ties with European leagues for developmental purposes and even of one day establishing teams there.
'Europe is a big part of our future,' Kasten said.
'I think our presence on the international stage next year is going to be really well-timed, a propitious step for us,' he added. 'We think the period before the Olympics, during the Olympics and after the Olympics are very important to the next stage of our development.'
Kasten spoke from Ottawa where he attended Game 2 of the best-of-five Walter Cup Finals series, which is tied at 1 after defending champion Minnesota's 2-1 overtime win.
The PWHL is closing its second season, which featured jumps in attendance, revenues, sponsorships and goal scoring – from 4.8 to 5.02 per outing – over the inaugural season.
Average attendance rose from 5,448 per contest last year to 7,260 due in part to nine neutral site games drawing a combined 123,601 fans.
Attendance in Toronto and Montreal jumped with both teams playing in larger venues, though Minnesota and Ottawa had slight drops in average turnout when not including their designated 'home' neutral site games.
Turnout continues to lag in New York where the Sirens finished last in the standings for a second straight year while averaging a league-low 2,764 fans per game – up from 2,496 last year – at the NHL Devils home, the Prudential Center.
Executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said the league's sponsorships increased from 40 to 60, and merchandise sales doubled – helped by the PWHL unveiling logos and nicknames for its six teams this season.
Kasten doesn't discount needs the PWHL has to address, noting the league intends to increase promotions and improve venues in various markets. Another concern is how fanbases will respond to each of the six existing teams standing to lose four players each as part of the expansion process next month.
For Kasten, that doesn't take away what the league has accomplished in 23 months since being launched by his boss, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and wife Kimbra, tennis icon Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss. As the PWHL's financial backer, Walter committed hundreds of millions of dollars as part of a long-term vision to bring together the world's top women players in one league.
Kasten said the initial projection for attendance was 1,000 per game for a league that in March surpassed the 1 million mark, including playoffs.
'I see us on a very distinct upward track able to look towards seasons where we can start to turn the corner and be in the black,' Kasten said, looking ahead to 2031.
'We're far away from that now and that's OK. We projected that,' he added. 'But when that happens, we can also think about expanding the schedule. And with an expanded schedule in an environment where you're finally making money, well, now there's more money for more people.
'And so I hope by then we're at that point. That would thrill me.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
The work is just beginning for the Toronto Sceptres
Any advantage the Toronto Sceptres enjoyed in having just one of its established veterans taken in the expansion draft is going to be a short-lived one. Article content All six existing clubs gave up four players in the expansion draft process that stocked each of PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle with their first 12 players. Article content Article content Toronto lost one of its first building blocks in the process with Sarah Nurse signing with Vancouver during the exclusive signing window both expansion clubs had in the five days priors to the actual draft. Article content Article content But on draft night all three of the Sceptres names called were coming off their rookie seasons. Julia Gosling, Izzy Daniel and defender Megan Carter were Toronto's first, second, and third round picks a year ago at the entry draft. Article content Because of their lack of tenure in the league, all three were also on entry level deals which becomes a problem for GM Gina Kingsbury beginning Monday when she goes looking to fill their spots with the opening of free agency. Article content 'It's difficult to lose all four of those athletes,' Kingsbury said Tuesday. 'They bring a tremendous amount of value to our organization and to our team. Three of those four came in just last season so more of an entry-level salary which doesn't free up a whole lot of room for us in this (upcoming signing period). Article content 'However obviously Sarah did carry a little bit of salary where we will have some space there, but it's definitely all different factors that come into play during this period of time and definitely something we are going to have to navigate in the next couple of weeks and ensure we can re-sign some of our key players.' Article content First on Kingsbury's list though is her own free agents and bringing as many of those back into the fold as possible. That list includes Natalie Spooner, Hannah Miller, Jesse Compher, Kali Flanagan, Hayley Scamurra and Maggie Connors and that's just the beginning of the list. It's actually 11 deep and while the goal is to bring them all back, again the economics of the situation likely won't support that. Article content You have the money they earned in their final years of the contract coming off the books but signing them for the same or less doesn't seem likely. Yes the salary cap increases to $1.34 million this year, an annual 3% bump as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but that won't offset the raises some of these free agents negotiate. Article content 'I do think we have a chance at re-signing them, from what they are telling me, where Toronto has been home for them,' Kingsbury said. 'They love our market. They love our fans. They love the city and enjoyed our staff and entire organization. So, I do think the familiarity of our market and how we have been operating over the last two years will definitely be a factor as well. We will try to be as competitive with the salaries as we possibly can and hopefully retain as many of those great athletes as we can here in the next couple of weeks.'


Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Industry Minister Joly sees role for automakers in boosting Canada's defence capacity
Canada's auto-making sector can play a key role in the federal government's $9.3-billion plan to bolster the country's defence, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday that Canada would fulfill its NATO commitment of spending 2 per cent of gross domestic product on its military in this fiscal year. Ms. Joly, speaking at an automotive industry conference Tuesday, said the sector, battered by U.S. tariffs, could use its manufacturing muscle to help Canada reach its defence goals. 'We are in a wartime cabinet right now,' Ms. Joly told reporters at the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association's annual meeting. 'We must build our defence capacity.' Ms. Joly did not provide specifics but said she will have talks with various industries, including autos, steel, aluminum and artificial intelligence. She pointed to General Motors' Oshawa operations, which have made military vehicles based on existing truck platforms. 'We know the Canadian Armed Forces need more vehicles and need to be protected better,' she said. 'We will build through our defence investments. That means more than $9-billion, and that includes investment in our industrial defence capacity, and that in turn could help the auto sector.' Carney lays out defence boost, says era of U.S. dominance over Flavio Volpe, president of APMA, said defence spending is welcome but is no substitute for the passenger-vehicle manufacturing that has sustained the domestic sector for more than 100 years. Military manufacturing involves different engineering tolerances, regulations and markets, he said. 'Good that we are thinking about it. I think we need to be creative and figure out how we feed into that, but it's not a replacement,' Mr. Volpe said. The day-long conference gave industry representatives an opportunity to hear from political and business leaders amid a tariff war with the United States that has already cost thousands of jobs and threatened the Canadian auto sector. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed 25-per-cent tariffs on the non-U.S. content in Canadian- and Mexican-made cars. Canadian auto parts have been spared the tariff applied to Canadian-assembled cars. Rob Wildeboer, executive chair of parts maker Martinrea International Inc., told the conference how he helped Trump advisers at the White House understand that duties on parts would quickly shut down the industry across North America, as suppliers would refuse to make money-losing components. It was a message they were not hearing from the U.S. industry for fear of reprisals, Mr. Wildeboer said. Still, the suppliers rely on Ontario's assembly plants for about half their sales. 'We got the tariffs off parts. We got to do it on cars,' Mr. Volpe said. Industry Minister Joly signals action on steel dumping into Canada coming The trade tensions come amid falling North American car sales and production, said Joe McCabe of AutoForecast Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based consultancy. Even before the tariff war, Ontario's auto plants owned by the Detroit Three faced uncertain futures: idled and awaiting new vehicles, making niche-market minivans and muscle cars, or operating under capacity. The tariffs have amplified those risks, Mr. McCabe said in an interview on the sidelines of the conference. Ontario's plants have been hit by layoffs and production cuts this year as automakers delay new models and extend the life of existing ones, trying to buy time while gauging the tariffs' effect on production and sales. For parts makers and their customers, this has meant a freeze in new investments, illustrated by Honda Canada's recent move to postpone its $15-billion EV project in Ontario. 'There's no question there is a chill,' said Vic Fedeli, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development. Mr. McCabe said automakers will pass on the tariffs to buyers of luxury models, eat them at the low end and share the cost with consumers on mid-priced autos. Victor Dodig, CEO of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, said the tariffs have put Canada in a 'war-footing' economic state that will mean uncertainty for 10 or 15 years. He said Canada will get through the tough times, but faces a changed world. 'It's not going to be like it was before,' he said. 'It's going to be different.' Still, he said, the U.S. will remain Canada's largest trading partner, likely forever.


Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Inverite to Complete 6:1 Consolidation
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 10, 2025) - Inverite Insights Inc. (CSE: INVR) (OTC Pink: INVRF) (FSE: 2V00) ("Inverite" or the "Company"), a leading AI-driven software provider utilizing real-time financial data to empower businesses to transact more effectively with consumers, announces that it will consolidate (the "Consolidation") its common shares on the basis of six pre-consolidation common shares for 1 new post-consolidation share. Outstanding options, warrants and other convertible securities will likewise be adjusted for the Consolidation, with the number of underlying common shares and exercise prices being adjusted accordingly. No fractional common shares will be issued, and fractions of less than one-half of a share will be cancelled and fractions of at least one-half of a share will be converted to a whole common share. Following the Consolidation and subject to rounding adjustment, the Company expects to have approximately 41,528,721 common shares issued and outstanding, and approximately 13,297,928 common shares reserved for issuance. The Company expects that the CSE will issue a bulletin in due course, confirming the date on which the Company's common shares will commence trading on the CSE on a post-Consolidation basis. There will be no change to the Company's name or trading symbol. The new CUSIP/ISIN for the post-Consolidation common shares is 46125M203 / CA46125M2031. Letters of Transmittal will be mailed shortly to registered shareholders who hold share certificates, with instructions for the exchange of existing share certificates for new share certificates. Shareholders holding uncertificated shares (such as BEO, NCI and DRS positions) will not receive a Letter of Transmittal but will have their holdings adjusted electronically by the Company's transfer agent and need not take any further action to exchange their pre-Consolidation shares for post-Consolidation shares. About Inverite Insights Inc. Inverite Insights Inc. ("Inverite") (CSE: INVR) (OTC Pink: INVRF) (FSE: 2V00) is a Vancouver-based, AI-driven software provider specializing in real-time Holistic Financial Intelligence for the alternative credit economy. With a vast database of over 27.5 billion financial data points from more than seven million unique Canadian consumers transactions, The Company transacts with over 150,000 consumers monthly seeking credit. Inverite empowers businesses to transact more effectively with consumers through innovative solutions for data enrichment, identity, risk management and compliance. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider/Market Maker (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, nor has in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction nor approved or disapproved the contents of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions readers that all forward-looking statements, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on information currently available. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.