The idea of Vancouver and Seattle having more regional teams to play is a welcome idea for many, but it also means that once again, the rosters that teams have worked to build will be changing very soon once again.
When the calendar turns to 2026, we'll learn what the further expansion plans of the PWHL will look like: two or four teams? How many in Canada and how many in the United States? These are questions that will soon have confirmed answers, and with a second year of the Takeover Tour, the league has gained another look at prospective markets, especially those in the Western and central parts of North America.
The western cities involved in the tour include Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Denver, and Dallas, all markets that would increase the league's footprint in a major way, but would also give the league a chance at making a proper Western Division.
When the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Minnesota Frost played in Edmonton for their Takeover Tour game, Goldeneyes captain Ashton Bell said the idea of a western division is something that she thinks could be in the PWHL's future.
"I think that's the direction this league is heading in, to hopefully have a western division and some teams in the middle ground, so travel isn't as far. I think the growth of women's hockey here out west is incredible, and to see the success that Vancouver has, I can only imagine that Edmonton or Calgary or whatever market it would be would have the same," said Bell.
The positive sentiments were echoed by Frost head coach Ken Klee, who wants to see where the sport's growth can go in the future.
"I think it would be great, I think the expansion has been great for the league. I think its exciting to see where women's hockey professionally is going and hopefully it keeps growing doing well."
He added, "throw Denver in there," a nod to the idea of a city he grew up in and also played in with the NHL's Avalanche.
While there's plenty of positivity on further PWHL expansion, it does mean once again that current rosters will face drastic changes for an upcoming expansion draft, one that would involve the league's newest teams in Vancouver and Seattle.
For Goldeneyes head coach Brian Idalski, losing key parts of a team he's only had one season to gel and create chemistry with is something he's going to have to get through.
"That's a mixed bag, because as an expansion team we're still trying to sort things out," said Idalski.
"The reality is, we don't have next year to be better or to build on things, because this group is going to get blown apart. We've already seen what's going to happen with expansion from last year. As much as it's a process to build something, we don't have a lot of time: three, four months before we expand again and this team is going to probably lose at least two thirds of it?"
The first PWHL expansion draft saw the original six teams relinquish four players to the Goldeneyes and Torrent, and the rules could be the same once the next round of expansion is formalized.
While westward bound seems to be a part of the destiny for the league reaching 12 franchises, it will have an impact on far more than just the new markets.