Jayna Hefford confident in talent pool for PWHL's 4 expansion teams

Professional Women's Hockey League leaders believe talent pool is up to the task of filling four new teams next season and maintaining a high level of play.

The PWHL expanded into Northern California with Tuesday's announcement San Jose will join the league in 2026-27 alongside Hamilton, Detroit and Las Vegas.

That's an intake of 92 more full-time players, plus a dozen reserves, a year after Vancouver and Seattle joined the original six clubs of Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Boston, New York and Minnesota.

"I feel confident after seeing what we did last season with two new teams and the play on the ice, the competition, and I really haven't heard otherwise, it's only risen," said PWHL executive vice-president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.

"Looking at this upcoming draft declaration, we have 235 players that have declared. We have a really strong European draft group. We have potentially a generational college group that are coming into the league that are going to have an immediate impact.

"Excited to be able to provide more people the opportunity to play."

The PWHL will be a 12-team league in its fourth season.

Details on how expansion rosters will be built, and how new teams will be incorporated into the June 17 draft in Detroit, have yet to be revealed.

"We are bringing you the highest-level hockey in the world," PWHL executive vice-president of business operations Amy Scheer said Tuesday in San Jose's SAP Center, home to the NHL's Sharks.

"We have over 60 Olympians taking the ice this season. There will be a bunch more next year. Each game is so competitive. Every shift matters. Every point in the standings matter.

"I will tell you; the games are the highest level of competition and you will love it."

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