The PWHL Takeover Tour has become a quintessential part of the league's growth and marketing. With a large-scale expansion complete, the league could be looking at taking their product to new markets across North America on the tour this season.
The PWHL's Takeover Tour has continued to grow, and it has served an important role for the league. Not only has it been a part of the PWHL's expansion plans, it's also been a crucial part of the league's marketing and fan outreach.
With a large-scale expansion to Hamilton, Detroit, San Jose, and Las Vegas behind them, the PWHL will undoubtedly look to new corners of North America this season for the PWHL Takeover Tour. Eventually the league will bring the tour to Europe, but for the time being, exploring new markets across North America will be the focus.
Here's a look at some of the new markets the league could target this season for the 2026-27 PWHL Takeover Tour.
Nashville - 20,000 people inside Nashville's Bridgestone Arena would look nice. The Nashville Jr. Predators and Tennessee Wolverines are helping to grow girls hockey in Tennessee, and events like the Smashville Girls Hockey Showcase and CAN/AM Hockey Girls Challenge Cup continue to bring the game to the state. The Predators have laid the foundation, but the PWHL could ultimately bring an even bigger base to the city.
Salt Lake City - Utah is going to host the 2034 Olympics, which will not only feature another effort from Team USA for gold, but also the launch of a second hockey tournament, a 3-on-3 version, as an Olympic sport. With the Utah Mammoth now in town, and a growing girls hockey community, Salt Lake City is a western market worth exploring.
Columbus - Future regional rival for Detroit? Future hot spot for Ohio State alumni? The 20,000 seat Nationwide Arena has only one tenant, the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, meaning the market could easily accommodate a date or two. The league didn't stick in Chicago, but it did in Detroit. If not Columbus, perhaps Cleveland or Cincinnati. Ohio needs a game.
Anaheim - PWHL San Jose won't simply be the Bay Area's team, they'll be California's team, at least for the foreseeable future. Bringing the league to the Honda Centre in Anaheim could be a step in growing the statewide support, and it will be an easier building to fit the PWHL's scheduling needs than Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Although after selling out the
Philadelphia - The PWHL has been a hit on the east coast, and Philadelphia is set to gain a WNBA team in 2030. The city makes a lot of sense for the PWHL fan base, including their vibrant Philadelphia Jr. Flyers' girls hockey program which this year see their first alumnae play in the PWHL in Leah Stecker and Grace Dwyer.
Tampa Bay - Benchmark International Arena could easily host a PWHL Takeover Tour game. The city has recent history with women's hockey housing PWHPA training action and PHF playoff games in the seasons prior to the PWHL's launch.
Miami - This one feels inevitable, especially with the Florida Panthers launching a new girls hockey program for this season. The biggest question here is if they aim to fill the 14,447 seats of the Kaseya Center in the heart of Miami, or if they use the 20,000 seat Amerant Bank Arena, home of the Florida Panthers.
San Diego - There was some chatter that San Diego was in the mix for a PWHL expansion team with the league's desire to plant a team in California. Pechanga Arena with a capacity just over 12,000, and a vibrant sports community could make for an interesting stop.
Houston - There's a market for the PWHL in Texas. Dallas didn't show up like the league had hoped last season, so perhaps it's time to shift to Houston. The NHL is examining the expansion potential in Houston already.
Portland - Portland loves women's sports, and is just the kind of market the PWHL could look to when they open expansion talks again. Not only is there the Moda Center, but there's also the Veterans Memorial Coliseum next door. Either could house a PWHL team for a Takeover Tour stop, or permanently.
Return Dates
The PWHL has established some hot ticket markets in other locations for the PWHL Takeover Tour. Quebec City should remain on the list both for the Takeover Tour and expansion. The Quebec market remains hockey-mad, including for women's hockey. The same can be said for Halifax where they sold out both Takeover Tour games last season. Halifax deserves an annual stop on the tour.
Washington broke the American attendance record last season and would have likely warranted an expansion franchise if not for the PWHL's franchise ownership model. But they did clearly state they'd like more than one PWHL Takeover Tour game this year and into the future.
Denver was a market most thought was a lock for PWHL expansion after showing up time and again for the PWHL Takeover Tour. It didn't come to fruition for the Mile High City, but it should keep the PWHL coming back year after year.
Edmonton was the other market most expected the PWHL to land in, but the inability to get a deal done with their NHL counterparts should stop the league from returning to Alberta next season. It could be in Calgary, it could be in Edmonton, it could be both. Winnipeg is another Canadian market that deserves another stop.
