PWHL to Make History with Season Three Puck Drop Tonight
PWHL Professional Women's Hockey League

PWHL to Make History with Season Three Puck Drop Tonight

Published on November 21, 2025 under Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) News Release


NEW YORK AND TORONTO - Building on the momentum of its first two seasons and the introduction of two West Coast expansion teams, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) returns to action energized for tonight's historic puck drop to launch Season Three.

For the first time, the league will see eight teams competing for the Walter Cup, welcoming the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes, with their newly revealed brand identities, and an expanded PWHL Takeover Tour©, increasing to 16 neutral-site games in 11 markets. Additionally, the PWHL is broadening its reach both on and off the ice, and delivering greater accessibility and opportunity for fan engagement.

Overall, the PWHL's 2025-26 season will feature a record 120 games, with teams playing 30 regular-season games, coinciding with the 2026 Olympic Winter Games where many of the league's stars will represent their countries and seize the global stage. The full PWHL schedule can be found HERE.

WEST COAST EXPANSION ERA BEGINS

Seven months ago, the PWHL announced its first two expansion markets, and a wave of passion and momentum for women's hockey has been sweeping the West Coast ever since. Tonight, the Vancouver Goldeneyes will host the Seattle Torrent in a sold-out Pacific Coliseum - a home venue where the PWHL is the primary tenant. Both expansion markets have immediately become two of the league's strongest merchandise performers, with Seattle notably setting the record for the highest first-day jersey sales of any team at launch, and Vancouver not far behind.

OPENING NIGHT DOUBLEHEADER AND WEEKEND GAMES

The two-time defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost will open a second straight season with a banner raising ceremony at Grand Casino Arena and debut the league's first-ever commemorative championship jerseys. They take on the Toronto Sceptres tonight at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the all-expansion matchup between Vancouver and visiting Seattle at 10 p.m. ET. Opening weekend action continues with the Ottawa Charge hosting the New York Sirens on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET at TD Place, then the Boston Fleet welcome the Montréal Victoire to the Tsongas Center on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET.

SEASON 3 BROADCAST SCHEDULE

For the 2025-26 season, the PWHL is expanding its reach through a broad, accessibility-first broadcast strategy that brings PWHL hockey to more fans than ever. All 120 regular-season games will air live across a mix of national, regional, and digital partners in North America. In Canada, coverage spans TSN and RDS, CBC/Radio-Canada, Prime Video, and Sportsnet. In the United States, fans will be able to watch across regional sports networks, an expanded lineup of over-the-air partners, and YouTube - reaching more than 96 million homes. This approach strengthens local visibility, grows national audiences, and creates more ways for fans to experience the speed and intensity of PWHL hockey. Full broadcast details can be found here.

SEASON THREE BRAND CAMPAIGN

Today, the league unveiled its 2025-26 season brand campaign, Play It Big. Rooted in joy, ambition, and community, the player-forward campaign reflects the evolution of the league by placing PWHL athletes on the ice - and beyond it. Drawing from personal narratives, fan moments, and the energy of local markets, Play It Big showcases how players, fans, and communities together power the league's rising momentum. The campaign's hero film brings this spirit to life with candid scenes of athletes away from the rink, dynamic bursts of gameplay and training, and the raw emotion of fans cheering in the stands - culminating in a unified group shot of players in their team uniforms, underscoring the cultural movement the PWHL is building. The new 60 second spot is linked here.

WORLDWIDE TALENT

The league's largest pool of talent in three seasons lists 207 players on opening rosters representing nine different countries: Canada (94), the United States (88), Czechia (8), Finland (4), Sweden (4), Russia (3), Austria (2), Germany (2), and Switzerland (2). The league has reached new benchmarks with 25 international players and 62 incoming players with no prior PWHL experience, including 53 collegiate graduates immediately turning pro. These figures reflect the league's global ascent and development pipeline.

PWHL TAKEOVER TOUR

The rising interest in the PWHL extends beyond its current complement of cities, evidenced by a new single-day ticket sales record during last week's PWHL Takeover Tour© presales, surpassing the previous benchmark by more than 55 percent. The Tour will expand the league's geographic footprint east to Halifax and south to Dallas - both among seven new cities that will experience the excitement of the PWHL along with Calgary, Chicago, Hamilton, Washington D.C. and Winnipeg. The league will also return to Québec City, Denver, Detroit and Edmonton, with the latter three hosting two games on separate days (along with Chicago and Halifax), giving the league an opportunity to measure potential growth markets.

UNITY GAMES, THEME NIGHTS AND GIVEAWAYS

All PWHL teams will host Unity Games, theme nights, and special giveaways throughout the season - including the first-ever series of player bobbleheads. Each team will debut three bobbleheads, with some offered as in-game giveaways and others available for purchase in-venue and through the PWHL Online Shop. Unity Games return with a continued focus on celebrating diverse cultures and communities, ensuring PWHL arenas remain welcoming, inclusive spaces for all. Fans can expect performances, themed in-game entertainment, and community partnerships that bring each celebration to life. Across the league, special artist collaborations and limited-edition merchandise will also roll out during the season, with proceeds supporting various non-profit organizations.

DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT SOARS

The momentum of Season Three can be felt across the business, and digital engagement is one of the clearest indicators. League and team social channels have seen views and impressions increase by more than 80% over the last 30 days compared to the same period last year, and the PWHL recently surpassed one billion total views and impressions across its platforms - a notable benchmark for a league not yet two years into play. The impact is also evident with Jocks in Jills presented by SharkNinja, part of PWHL Media House, where social followers grew by more than 25% and Spotify listener hours increased by over 300%. Jocks in Jills enters Season Three with even stronger fan engagement, new segments, and expanded coverage leading into the 2026 Winter Olympics. These trends reflect the PWHL's expanding reach as interest in women's hockey continues to grow and fans seek out more ways to follow the league, its teams, and its athletes.

NEW PARTNERSHIPS

The PWHL also continues to strengthen its commercial arm, adding dozens of new partners across the league this offseason, with more leaguewide announcements to come in the weeks ahead. DoorDash has joined as the Title Partner of the Canadian stops on the PWHL Takeover Tour©, while the league's two new expansion teams are entering their inaugural season with strong local support. In Seattle, new partners include Alaska Airlines, SDMC, Symetra, and WaFd Bank; in Vancouver, LiUNA!, Organika, PeelTea, and Save-On-Foods are among the brands backing the Goldeneyes from day one.

KEY DATES

The following dates are scheduled on the PWHL calendar:

March 1 to May 1: Draft Declaration Window

March 30: Trade Deadline

March 31: Roster Freeze

April 25: Final Day of the Regular Season

The PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs presented by SharkNinja will begin the week of April 27 where the top four teams in the standings will compete in two best-of-five semifinals, with the winners advancing to a best-of-five PWHL Walter Cup Finals presented by Scotiabank.

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Professional Women's Hockey League Stories from November 21, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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