Vancouver getting Professional Women’s Hockey League team
Posted April 23, 2025 7:40 am.
Last Updated April 23, 2025 9:31 pm.
A new hockey team will soon be calling Vancouver home, as the Professional Women’s Hockey League confirms it is expanding to the West Coast.
The yet-to-be-named team will play at the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE, the former home of the Vancouver Canucks, and is set to begin play in the 2025-26 season.
The confirmation of a team came at a press conference with representatives from the B.C. government, the City of Vancouver, various other stakeholders, and a very special local connection.
“My name is Sydney Mildon. I’m nine years old, and I play for the Vancouver Angels U11 team. Back in January, my teammates and I went to the very first PWHL Takeover Tour Game,” she said.
“It was the coolest day ever. We saw six goals, danced in the stands, waved our signs, and cheered so loud for the players. It felt like anything was possible. It made me think, ‘I want to be just like them someday, playing in the PWHL.’
“It was at that game we made it clear that we want a PWHL team, and today, we’re so excited, because right here in Vancouver, we got a team!” Mildon announced.
The PWHL says that ahead of the team’s debut, the Coliseum will undergo upgrades to its locker rooms and training facilities. It will also get enhanced technology and broadcast capabilities.
The announcement Wednesday also included the team’s colours — Pacific Blue and Cream. “The team will operate as PWHL Vancouver until the permanent brand identity is announced,” the PWHL explained.
The current six-team league is in the midst of its second season and has spent several months evaluating different markets for expansion purposes.
It may be obvious to some people that Vancouver would get a team. It’s a large market that has a growing girls’ hockey foundation, which was underscored in January when a PWHL game between Toronto and Montreal was played in Vancouver. The game at Rogers Arena sold out almost immediately, with more than 19,000 fans in attendance.
There is also a desire to spread the game across North America. Currently, the league has five teams based in the east — Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, and New York — and one in the U.S. northeast in St. Paul, Minn. The Associated Press reports Seattle may also be getting a team, which would ignite a rivalry down the I-5.
Executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer explained that the league doesn’t take for granted that it’s only two years old and has a deep following it already has.
“Why Vancouver? … We started the journey about eight months ago. A small group of us at the PWHL, along with our board, got together and we talked about what was important. What is it that we wanted to see happen for the PWHL in our future, and where did we want to be, and what would that look like? And once we felt we had the criteria, we reached out to a bunch of markets across the U.S. and Canada, and we started to have very in-depth conversations,” she explained.
“When we came out here for the Takeover Tour, we did a wonderful tour of the PNE and the full grounds, the Agrome, the Coliseum, and everything that happens there. We were floored with the expanse of the business that happens there. But why Vancouver? I mean, I’m ready to move here. My accent will stand out, but I’m still ready to move here.
“You’ve shown a remarkable commitment to growing the game of hockey. And I think the last stat I saw from BC hockey was that the girls and boys registration is just about 50-50, and that’s huge. And BC hockey’s efforts have been huge in growing the game. And we want to help build and continue that momentum that you’ve already started,” she added.
Scheer explained that the PNE and its management team were also a major reason for the decision to expand to Vancouver.
“We feel we don’t just have business partners, but we feel not that we have friends, and we feel that we have friends that are invested in our success as much as we are, and that’s really rare to find,” she explained.
“The Pacific Coliseum and the Agrodome will be a first for us, in the sense that we will be the primary tenant in this venue. And for us, that’s an extraordinary accomplishment to happen in our third year,” Scheer said.
“I stand up here today from the PWHL, we are fully committed to Vancouver. We’re excited that you’re our first expansion franchise. You will be so impressed with our athletes and the love of hockey you have here. And I promise you, it’s going to be love at first puck drop.”
This year’s PWHL playoffs are set to get underway in May.
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