With the NHL creating a first-of-its-kind partnership in Germany, could the growth of women's hockey, including through PWHL partnership be next?
The NHL is going to Germany. In August, the NHL signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Germany's most famed soccer club, FC Bayern Munich, a deal "designed to accelerate the growth of hockey in Germany."
Part of the agreement includes hosting regular season games in Germany in each of the next three seasons, an agreement that will see the Edmonton Oilers play a pair of games in Cologne, and the Boston Bruins play twice in Munich in 2027. It will follow a two-game series this season between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks in Düsseldorf.
It's a first of its kind inter-sport partnership looking to grow multiple brands on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Germany has a long hockey history, and features one of the top men's professional leagues, the DEL.
Germany is well situated with the infrastructure to support professional hockey featuring several suitable venues for the sport.
The push to grow men's hockey in Germany is likely to have a spinoff impact on women's hockey as well, which could create an opportunity for the PWHL, who continue to examine their own European aspirations.
PWHL executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer has openly stated the league has eyes on Europe for future PWHL Takeover Tour games. In fact, European growth has been a conversation point of the PWHL's since its earliest days, and the topic has never subsided.
"I don't think we're quite ready to leave North America yet," Scheer told The Canadian Press this spring. "It's certainly on our mood board for an aspirational kind of thing, but maybe a little bit further out than next season."
According to the NHL, their most recent partnership will only get deeper, focusing on engaging youth in the sport.
"The NHL continues to demonstrate its commitment to the long-term growth of hockey in Germany through grassroots programs and community engagement initiatives," the league's website states. Among those efforts will include binging NHL Street Hockey to Germany, working to "broaden access to the sport," and in the future, "the League will expand its school-based initiatives, youth development programs and fan engagement activities, strengthening participation and helping foster a new generation of players, families and fans throughout the country."
Girls and women's hockey will certainly see some of that as well.
Germany is currently ranked 7th in the IIHF world rankings on both the women's and men's side. This season the DFEL, Germany's top women's league, saw noted growth in their signings of international talent, and for the second consecutive season, expanded beyond their own borders to now include a team from Slovakia and Hungary.
Germany could also see an unprecedented number of athletes in the PWHL this season with Laura Kluge, Sandra Abstreiter, Luisa Welcke, and Lilli Welcke all attending camps.
There are several other players who are PWHL eligible after declaring for the draft from Germany's national team, and DFEL.
New attendance marks have continued to be set not only by the PWHL, but across Europe as well. In March 2025, Sweden's Frolunda drew 8,442 for a home game against Lulea in SDHL action. Last season Switzerland's PostFinance Women's League drew a new recod of 4,997 for a game between the ZSC Lions and EV Zug. Internationally, Czechia's 2025 World Championships set a new all-time total attendance mark for the tournament, drawing multiple sellout crowds of 5,859. At the 2026 Olympics, Italy's second preliminary round game against Sweden brought in 10,727 fans. The evidence is clear that the appetite for elite women's hockey is not isolated to the United States and Canada, but has become global.
Germany's DEL has four home venues with a capacity of 11,000 or greater. There are another five rinks with 6,000 or greater across the league. The capacity is there for women's hockey to come to Europe, whether it's preseason competition, a special event, or for regular season Takeover Tour games.
With the NHL building a formal bridge into Europe, the PWHL, which has followed the NHL in many ways, could be next to make a step into Germany.
