PWHL plans further expansion, eyes 2026 Olympics to broaden reach in Europe
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.
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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.
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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 Winter Games to broaden its reach internationally; and the prospect of turning a profit by 2031, when the league's current CBA with its players expires.
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'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.
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'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.'
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Expansion plans
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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.
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'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.'
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Eye on Europe
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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.
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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.
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'Europe is a big part of our future,' Kasten said.
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'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.'
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