Seattle gets PWHL's second expansion team, to begin play in 2025-26
Another week, another new PWHL team.
Seattle is getting an expansion team that will begin play in the 2025-26 season, the league announced Wednesday. With last week's announcement of an expansion team in Vancouver, the PWHL will have eight teams next season.
Advertisement
"The opportunity to start a new chapter of women's hockey in the Pacific Northwest ... has so much meaning for our league," Amy Scheer, the executive vice president of PWHL business operations, said in a statement. "The (NHL's Seattle) 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.'
The still-to-be-named Seattle team will play at Climate Pledge Arena, home of both the Kraken and the Storm. Its colors will be emerald green and cream.
The PWHL began play last year, and it quickly became obvious there was room for growth. It's already passed the 1 million mark in total attendance, and has repeatedly set single-game records for women's hockey in the United States. Its "Takeover Tour" — games played in potential expansion cities — was wildly successful, drawing 123,601 fans to the nine games.
That included the 12,608 people, then a season high, who turned out for a Jan. 5 game at Climate Pledge Arena.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: PWHL adds Seattle team, joining Vancouver as 2025 expansion franchises
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Houston Astros look vulnerable in the AL West. Is anyone ready to dethrone them?
Slowly but surely, the stars of Houston's 2017 World Series-winning team have scattered about in the years since. George Springer is in Toronto now, Alex Bregman in Boston and Carlos Correa in Minnesota. Justin Verlander pitches for San Francisco. Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers Jr. are still with the Astros, but it feels like it's only a matter of time before Houston's dominance of the AL West comes to an end. The question is whether anyone else in the division has what it takes to force a changing of the guard. If it weren't for Oakland's division title in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Houston would have a streak of seven straight AL West championships. Only the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees have had runs that long since divisional play began. But last year, the Astros won just 88 games, their fewest in a full season since 2016. Only the mediocrity of the rest of the division kept them on top. This year, Houston is 32-27, which puts the Astros on pace to win 88 games again. Nonetheless, they trail first-place Seattle by just a half-game. The challengers all have their problems. The Athletics had an encouraging start but have lost 17 of their last 18. The Los Angeles Angels look headed to a 10th straight losing season. Texas won it all as a wild card two years ago but has been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball in 2025. That leaves Seattle. The Mariners have the major league home run leader in Cal Raleigh — yes, he's ahead of both Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge with 23. Seattle also has Luis Castillo leading the pitching staff, but its team ERA is pretty middling at 3.86. Logan Gilbert missed all of May with an elbow issue. Trivia time There are six current major league franchises that have never won back-to-back division titles. Who are they? Agony of defeat Boston was swept three straight at Milwaukee, with the last two losses coming in walk-off fashion. Christian Yelich hit a 10th-inning grand slam to beat the Red Sox on Tuesday night, and the following day Caleb Durbin ended it with a sacrifice fly. Boston has lost a major league-high seven games in walk-off fashion — and those games account for over a fifth of their 32 defeats. Line of the week Junior Caminero went 4 for 5 with two homers, two doubles, five RBIs and four runs in Tampa Bay's 16-3 rout of Houston on Saturday. Even after a loss Sunday, the Rays have won nine of their last 12 and are just a half-game behind Minnesota for the American League's final wild card. Comeback of the week Minnesota trailed Seattle 6-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth Friday night when Willi Castro hit a two-run homer off closer Andrés Muñoz. Then Byron Buxton singled, stole second and scored on a single by Trevor Larnach. In the top of the 10th, the Twins scored six runs on their way to a 12-6 victory. Seattle had a win probability of 98.9% in the ninth, according to Baseball Savant. Muñoz had not allowed an earned run all season. He blew another save against Minnesota on Sunday but ultimately got the win. Trivia answer The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies have never won ANY division titles. The other four teams that have never gone back-to-back are: — San Francisco Giants (NL West titles in 1971, 1987, 1989, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2021) — New York Mets (NL East titles in 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 2006 and 2015) — Chicago White Sox (AL West titles in 1983 and 1993, AL Central titles in 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2021) — Seattle Mariners (AL West titles in 1995, 1997 and 2001) ___
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Houston Astros look vulnerable in the AL West. Is anyone ready to dethrone them?
Associated Press Slowly but surely, the stars of Houston's 2017 World Series-winning team have scattered about in the years since. George Springer is in Toronto now, Alex Bregman in Boston and Carlos Correa in Minnesota. Justin Verlander pitches for San Francisco. Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers Jr. are still with the Astros, but it feels like it's only a matter of time before Houston's dominance of the AL West comes to an end. The question is whether anyone else in the division has what it takes to force a changing of the guard. If it weren't for Oakland's division title in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Houston would have a streak of seven straight AL West championships. Only the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees have had runs that long since divisional play began. But last year, the Astros won just 88 games, their fewest in a full season since 2016. Only the mediocrity of the rest of the division kept them on top. This year, Houston is 32-27, which puts the Astros on pace to win 88 games again. Nonetheless, they trail first-place Seattle by just a half-game. The challengers all have their problems. The Athletics had an encouraging start but have lost 17 of their last 18. The Los Angeles Angels look headed to a 10th straight losing season. Texas won it all as a wild card two years ago but has been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball in 2025. That leaves Seattle. The Mariners have the major league home run leader in Cal Raleigh — yes, he's ahead of both Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge with 23. Seattle also has Luis Castillo leading the pitching staff, but its team ERA is pretty middling at 3.86. Logan Gilbert missed all of May with an elbow issue. The Mariners haven't won a division title since 2001. It's there for the taking right now, but are they up to the task? Trivia time There are six current major league franchises that have never won back-to-back division titles. Who are they? Agony of defeat Boston was swept three straight at Milwaukee, with the last two losses coming in walk-off fashion. Christian Yelich hit a 10th-inning grand slam to beat the Red Sox on Tuesday night, and the following day Caleb Durbin ended it with a sacrifice fly. Boston has lost a major league-high seven games in walk-off fashion — and those games account for over a fifth of their 32 defeats. Line of the week Junior Caminero went 4 for 5 with two homers, two doubles, five RBIs and four runs in Tampa Bay's 16-3 rout of Houston on Saturday. Even after a loss Sunday, the Rays have won nine of their last 12 and are just a half-game behind Minnesota for the American League's final wild card. Comeback of the week Minnesota trailed Seattle 6-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth Friday night when Willi Castro hit a two-run homer off closer Andres Munoz. Then Byron Buxton singled, stole second and scored on a single by Trevor Larnach. In the top of the 10th, the Twins scored six runs on their way to a 12-6 victory. Seattle had a win probability of 98.9% in the ninth, according to Baseball Savant. Muñoz had not allowed an earned run all season. He blew another save against Minnesota on Sunday but ultimately got the win. Trivia answer The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies have never won ANY division titles. The other four teams that have never gone back-to-back are: — San Francisco Giants (NL West titles in 1971, 1987, 1989, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2021) — New York Mets (NL East titles in 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 2006 and 2015) — Chicago White Sox (AL West titles in 1983 and 1993, AL Central titles in 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2021) — Seattle Mariners (AL West titles in 1995, 1997 and 2001) ___ AP MLB: recommended
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
JASON RANTZ: Seattle says praying in public is 'provocative' and the Trump administration is taking notice
Seattle is actively waging a war against Christian worshipers and the First Amendment. This isn't hyperbole. It's a city-sanctioned, Left-wing media-backed, far-Left crusade to stomp out any faith that dares exist outside their secular, progressive orthodoxy. And the Trump administration is taking notice, potentially stepping in where city leadership has refused to protect basic rights. Over the last two weeks, Seattle's animosity toward Christians has been on full display. Two weeks ago, Cal Anderson Park (made notorious as the main staging area for Seattle's deadly autonomous zone in 2020) became ground zero for Seattle's unhinged war on faith. MayDay USA, a Christian group, gathered for a worship rally under the banner #dontmesswithourkids. They oppose gender transition on minors, a mainstream position that Seattle treats as fringe. But the majority of the event was singing worship songs, dancing, and offering kids free haircuts. Far-left agitators — the Antifa cosplay crowd, masked as always — swarmed the park, launching urine-filled balloons at worshipers, hurling water bottles at police, and physically assaulting both officers and civilians. Twenty-three arrests. A police officer was hospitalized. And all because a group of Christians had the audacity to pray in public in the "tolerant" city of Seattle. How did Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell respond? He ran interference for the attackers and then had the gall to blame the worshipers. "On Saturday, our city saw an extreme right-wing group rally at Cal Anderson Park, attracting both supporters and counterprotesters. While we respect the right to free speech and peaceful assembly, it is clear that intentionally provocative rallies designed to attract confrontation place a burden on our communities and law enforcement resources," the Mayor's Office said in a statement. Translation: If Christians get attacked in Seattle, it's probably their fault for being so provocative with all that worshiping. Maybe if they'd just stayed home and streamed a Drag Queen Story Hour instead, things would have been quieter. Meanwhile, Councilmember Bob Kettle, elected under the claim that he'd focus on law and order, blamed the city for giving a permit to the worshipers to visit Cal Anderson Park, which is in Seattle's most gay-friendly neighborhood. At the City Hall rally, Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and State Representative Shaun Scott showed up to support the radicals targeting the worshipers. Harrell went so far as to claim that worshipers who were upset with him for labeling them extremists were trying to "intimidate" him because he's "Seattle's second Black and first biracial mayor." But the far-left wasn't finished. Later in the week, worshipers and their supporters showed the kind of courage this city's politicians can only pretend to possess. They rallied at City Hall, demanding the city finally do its job and protect the right to worship. And, again, it was a positive event filled with public displays of faith, singing, and dancing. They were met by a mob that harassed, insulted, and, at times, assaulted them. Leftist agitators swarmed Christian moms and their kids as they left the rally, screaming obscenities not just at the supporters, but at the cops there to keep the peace. Eight more arrests. This is "tolerance" in Seattle — just so long as you're on the right team. But don't hold your breath waiting for city leaders to condemn the violence. That's exactly why it keeps happening. As I detail in my book, "What's Killing America: Inside the Radical Left's Tragic Destruction of Our Cities," I infiltrated Antifa thugs and their activist pals as they wreaked havoc in Seattle. They only get bolder when their violence is excused. I was at the City Hall rally this week. Let's not pretend there's a Venn diagram separating the radicals who seized six city blocks in the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) from the ones who showed up to harass and assault Christian worshipers. They're basically the same crowd. Now, the official line is that the worshipers themselves are the "extremists." This narrative is parroted endlessly by local media bolstering the political position from the mayor's office, which insists these events were "designed to attract confrontation" — as if public prayer is some kind of riot bait. The Seattle Times described the worshipers as "far right" protesters. But the description of the thugs who committed the violence and harassed children? Merely "pro-LGBTQ+ protesters" — no ideological identifier. KOMO-TV labeled one side "right-wing," but didn't identify the radical protesters. Instead, the outlet laughably concluded it was "unclear" what "sparked confrontations." Let's be honest: If any other minority group was targeted in this way, the outrage would be deafening. But for Christians? Silence — or worse, blame. But there's a glimmer of hope, though it's predictably not coming from Seattle City Hall. The Trump administration is now watching closely. Both FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and White House Faith Officer advisor Paula White say they're reviewing the events. The message is clear: If Seattle won't protect basic rights, the Trump administration just might. But it shouldn't come to this. The Trump administration shouldn't have to remind Seattle what the First Amendment actually means and that political violence, in all forms, is wrong.
