PWHL announces Seattle expansion to join new Vancouver club on West Coast
When Vancouver's professional women's hockey team plays its first game next fall, they will have some regional competition.
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced its second expansion team on Wednesday, which will play in Seattle.
The new team, dubbed simply PWHL Seattle for the time being, will share the Climate Pledge Arena with the NHL's Seattle Kraken.
'The opportunity to start a new chapter of women's hockey in the Pacific Northwest, combined with calling the world-class Climate Pledge Arena home has so much meaning for our league,' said PWHL executive vice president of Business Operaitons Amy Scheer.
'The Kraken already have been unbelievably supportive, and it's a joy to have PWHL Seattle join the WNBA's Storm and the NWSL's Reign, who are skyscrapers in the city's towering sports landscape.'
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As is fitting for a city nicknamed the Emerald City, the team's colours will be emerald green and cream.
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The new PWHL Seattle's colours. PWHL Seattle
The new team will join the league's single-entity ownership structure under The Walter Group.
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It comes a week after the PWHL announced Vancouver would be its first expansion team, playing out of the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE, and sets up the foundation for an entertaining Pacific rivalry.
'Women's teams from Seattle and Vancouver played against each other as early as 1921 and, given the proximity of our two newest cities – Vancouver is barely 140 miles away – I cannot wait for the first game in what I'm sure will be one of our fiercest rivalries,' said PWHL executive vice-presient of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.
The league says details of the expansion draft to build the two new clubs' rosters, and how they will integrate into the 2025 PWHL Draft, will be released in the coming weeks.
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Seattle's bid was led by the Oak View Group, which developed and operated the Climate Pledge Arena, and the Seattle Kraken.
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PWHL vice-president on why Vancouver was picked as expansion team
The PWHL cited the city's facilities, active women's sports fanbase and strong turnout to January's PWHL Takeover Tour game, which drew 12,608 fans, as central to the successful bid.
The 2025/2026 season schedule, which will offer more details of how the league manages time zone and travel challenges created by having a pair of west coast teams alongside its original six eastern teams will be released in the late summer.
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That it's an option speaks to how far women's hockey has come over Knight's career. It's only fitting that the next chapter is on an expansion team, in a place where she can keep building. "I think things aligned for me personally in the right way and I cannot wait for puck drop," Knight said. "I cannot wait to play in front of Seattle fans." Top talent still available in expansion draft Monday's expansion draft is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the league's YouTube channel. Even with 10 players already off the board, there's still lots of talent up for grabs for Vancouver and Seattle. The new teams will also have to be compliant with the salary cap, which could limit just how many more stars the new GMs can add. 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