Jayna Hefford discusses the interest the PWHL has received in regards to expansion, and says the league will continue to discuss timing and locations. According to reports, the PWHL is set to expand by two teams in time for the 2025-2026 season. Sportico's Eben Novy-Williams was first to report the news following an interview with the PWHL's vice president of business operations Amy Scheer. “Expansion is the first question we get asked, at every event we’re at,” Scheer told Sportico [https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2024/pwhl-expanison-process-two-teams-2025-1234802702/]. “It just seems like the right time to look into it. And I think once we have these conversations and understand what the real interest is, we’ll understand if this is the right time or not. But it was the right time to put the word out.” The first step is the league accepting requests for proposals from potential new clubs. The report claims there is no plan at the time to move away from the PWHL's single entity ownership model. Rather, the league intends to accept proposals from various markets and venue operators looking to house teams. According to Sportico, the league will evaluate potential fits based on four criterion, inclugin "market size and media reach...available facilities and infrastructure...local economic opportunity and corporate sponsorship leads, and...community fan base and youth hockey presence." The PWHL has been testing markets through neutral site games including Detroit and Pittsburgh last year. The league is also set to announce a neutral site game this coming season in Quebec City. Currently the league has six teams in Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto. More to come.
