PWHL's decision on expansion franchises to come in 4 to 6 weeks

The Professional Women's Hockey League is in the final stages of evaluating expansion proposals, as the league ponders whether to add as many as two more teams to the six-team league as soon as next season.

An announcement on whether expansion will happen next season or not should be coming within the next four to six weeks, the league's executive vice president of business operations, Amy Scheer, told reporters on Thursday.

Scheer announced last year that the league was open to expansion proposals, and told CBC Sports in November that more than 25 requests for proposals had gone out.

That last item is the most important on the list, Scheer said on Thursday.

"Where will we play the games?" she said. "Is the arena in the building up to the level of professionalism that we would like for our athletes?"

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That also includes what options a market can offer for practice facilities and whether the locker rooms and amenities are at a professional level.

The league and all six teams are owned and operated by the Mark Walter Group, and it's expected any expansion teams would be part of the single-ownership structure.

The PWHL hasn't revealed a list of all the cities vying for a team, nor has Scheer said which ones are at the top of the list, but there is interest from markets that were included as part of the league's Takeover Tour.

That includes Quebec City, which already has a pro-ready arena built for an NHL team that never arrived. Videotron Centre sold out a Takeover Tour game between the Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge in January, drawing 18,259 fans.

That tour also saw sellout