Report: PWHL chooses Vancouver as first expansion city - ESPN

The PWHL's first expansion team will be based in Vancouver with an announcement scheduled for next week, a person with knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the league has not revealed its plans. The Province newspaper in Vancouver first reported the city being selected for PWHL expansion.

On hold for now is the league announcing a second expansion city, with Seattle being considered, the person said. The league has other candidates for expansion if discussions break down with officials in Seattle, the person added.

The Vancouver expansion announcement is expected to be made Wednesday, with media invited to attend a press conference billed as being an «historic announcement for sport in Vancouver and British Columbia.» The new team is expected to be based out of the Pacific Coliseum, the former home of the NHL Canucks.

The PWHL declined to verify any details by saying: «We're continuing to finalize decisions related to expansion and look forward to sharing more details soon.»

The six-team league is in the midst of completing its second season and has spent the past six months evaluating more than 20 markets for the potential to expand by as many as two franchises.

The decision to select Vancouver meets several key criteria for the women's pro league founded by Dodgers owner Mark Walter, who serves as the PWHL's financial backer, and tennis icon Billie Jean King in June 2023.

Aside from being a large market, the region has a growing girls' hockey base, which was evident in January, when a PWHL neutral site game in Vancouver drew a sellout crowd of 19,038 — the fourth-largest turnout for a league game.

Geography also plays a factor with