Professional women's hockey needs a stage. Leagues won't be fully sustainable in 1200 seat arenas, they need room to grow. Whether it's an existing NHL, AHL, NCAA or Junior rink, there are many options available.

There's a lot of debate about what a "professional" facility looks like for women's hockey. Is it an NHL sized arena? Yes, absolutely. It is also the Mall of America in the PHF? If you talk to the players and fans, they love it.

In current markets where NCAA, NHL, NBA, and WNBA teams already own leases on many major facilities, options are limited, but there are venues that could provide room for growth for PHF or PWHPA teams, and the professional calibre facilities teams seek.

The market is there, but growth won't happen in a 1200 seat arena, at least not long term.

Ideally, teams can find an arena that can be plastered with their branding and history, but most of those arenas have been built for a specific franchise. While hockey fever is rampant in the West in cities like Las Vegas, Seattle, and Vancouver, this current list will focus on building out the current Eastern and Midwest geographic landscape.

Moving to a much larger facility would include larger costs, but at some point, the leap must be taken. As the salary cap and talent base continue to expand in pro women's hockey, playing in secondary facilities can take away from growth.

Here's a look at 10 (+1) facilities that could house women's professional hockey.

1. Mattamy Athletic Centre or Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto - Formerly Maple Leaf Gardens, Mattamy  underwent intense renovation in 2012 to take the form it has today as a 3850 seat modern facility. The current tenants include the men's and women's teams from Toronto Metropolitan University. Coca-Cola Coliseum is home to the AHL's Toronto Marlies. An agreement with only one other tenant would be workable, and the 8,100 would give the Six room to grow. It's the best option out there for the Six.

2. Place Bell, Laval - After touring the province of Quebec last season, it's time for the Montreal Force to put down roots. Perhaps nowhere would be more ideal than the state-of-the-art Place Bell in Laval. The 10,062 would allow growth, and one can only close your eyes and imagine Marie-Philip Poulin powering down the ice in a Force jersey in front of thousands of fans. Someday...perhaps.

3. KeyBack Rink at Haborcenter, Buffalo - This facility has it all. Hotels, restaurants, a connection to the larger KeyBack Center, home to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. While capacity is listed at only 1800, it can bubble above that as evidenced at the 2018 World Juniors. The Beauts previously played here and should return. Buffalo's current arena can also hold 1800, but this would be an upgrade in every other aspect, including in the ability to attract crowds. In fact, there's nothing stopping a Buffalo franchise from moving in with the Buffalo Sabres next door at KeyBank Center. The 19,070 seats could feel cavernous to start, but many events sell only lower bowl seats to keep the crowd close and engaged, and as crowds expand, the space is there.

4. TD Place Arena, Ottawa - The former home of the Ottawa Senators and current home of the OHL's Ottawa 67s, this single tenant building is screaming for a professional women's hockey team. The arena has a large digital screen, and seats 6,500 fans with the ability to expand to 8,000 through temporary seating. When a new arena in Ottawa is finally constructed, a future PHF team joining the Ottawa Senators as co-tenants would be even better.

5. Videotron Centre, Quebec City - Someone needs to tell the city of Quebec City that if the NHL doesn't love them, the PHF would. There's an abundance of talent from Quebec, and the 18,259 seat arena is one of the largest in North American without an NHL team. Currently, the venue houses only the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts, but it was designed to be home to a professional hockey team...so why not give it one?

6. Allstate Arena, Chicago - Chicago needs professional women's hockey. The city has strong following for other professional women's sports, and there are enough facilities available to house a women's hockey team. Allstate Arena is home to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, and has been a one-team home since the WNBA's Chicago Sky moved out for the 2018 season. With 16,692 seats and all the infrastructure in place, giving Allstate Arena another hockey team makes too much sense.

7. Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee - Wisconsin needs a professional women's hockey team. Whether it's at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee or up north at the Resch Center (8,709) in Green Bay, a Wisconsin based team would thrive. Fiserv seats 15,178 and currently houses only basketball. It's modern (completed in 2018), in a city and state with strong youth girls hockey programs, and in a large metropolitan area. 

8. Nationwide Arena, Columbus - The Ohio State Buckeyes women's program becoming a direct feeder to women hoping to stay and play professionally in Ohio could be a boom. Nationwide is large, holding 18,500, but with no other tenant, the city and facility would likely jump at an opportunity to house professional women's sport. 

9. PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh - Watching professional women's hockey come to Pittsburgh and placing the games in the Penguins' practice facility is a step, but it's only a 1500 seat arena, not a viable long term location. The 18,187 PPG Paints Arena houses only the NHL's Penguins, is modern, and has everything a pro women's hockey team could dream to have. The Penguins have shown interest in partnering with women's hockey in the past, and would make an excellent promoting partner moving forward.

10. Xcel Energy Center, Minneapolis - If there is a state that loves women's hockey, Minnesota is that state. The arena options in the city are limited, minus one. It's a go big or go home moment, and with the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA sharing with the NBA's Timberwolves, a similar collaborative effort between a PHF team and the Minnesota Wild could and should exist. No insult to Richfield, but the space exists to immediately make the switch. If the Whitecaps feel this is too big, partnering with one of the NCAA programs is another option, and brings in a built in captive student audience.