PWHL Announces Expansion to Las Vegas

On Wednesday, May 13, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced their next expansion team. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent were the first two expansion teams after two seasons. Last week, they announced their ninth team will be expanding to Detroit. The PWHL also shared today that they will be expanding to Hamilton. The PWHL has announced that their third expansion team for the 2026-27 season will be in Las Vegas.

PWHL Las Vegas marks the 11th team in the league. They will play their games at T-Mobile Arena, the same arena as the Vegas Golden Knights. The team will train at America First Center in Henderson, Nevada.

PWHL Las Vegas does not have a team name yet, but they did announce that the team colors will be green and gold. This is an homage to the desert within Nevada. Just like the inaugural six teams and Seattle and Vancouver this season, Las Vegas will likely play under the name PWHL Las Vegas and then play with jerseys in their team name and logo the following season. Both Seattle and Vancouver announced their team name and logo ahead of the 2025-26 season, so we should expect this announcement for Las Vegas before the start of 2026-27. 

Las Vegas never had a takeover tour game in the past two seasons, but the league has decided Las Vegas is the best choice for a new expansion team. In the press release announcing Las Vegas as one of the next PWHL teams, it states: “The PWHL’s arrival in Las Vegas comes with support from the Vegas Golden Knights, whose established hockey infrastructure will help anchor the league’s newest market. Since the Golden Knights’ inaugural NHL season in 2017, youth hockey participation in Nevada has surged, particularly among girls and women with a 600% increase. Las Vegas has also established itself as one of the strongest fan bases for women’s sports, highlighted by the success of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and continued investment in major sporting events across the market.”

Women’s sports are growing at an exponential rate, and the Aces are a clear demonstration of the desire for women’s sports in Las Vegas. With several leagues, both men’s and women’s, expanding to Las Vegas, the city is becoming one of the largest sports cities in the world. 

A press conference will be held at 1 PM PT to share more details on the PWHL’s expansion to Las Vegas.