Despite strong fan support, Edmonton still does not have a PWHL team, and the reason may come down more to logistics than interest. The Professional Women’s Hockey League is growing quickly, recently adding Detroit, Hamilton and Las Vegas as new markets. Edmonton, though, has not joined that list despite showing it can draw crowds.
During the 2025 Takeover Tour, more than 17,500 fans attended the Edmonton stop, one of the highest totals on the tour. The city also drew crowds above 10,000 for other PWHL games, showing there is clearly an audience for women’s hockey.
The bigger problem may be finding a home arena. Rogers Place already has a busy schedule with the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Oil Kings sharing the building. Between the two teams, there are 75 home games across the season.
Once concerts and other events are added, fitting in another hockey team becomes difficult, especially since the PWHL now plays a longer schedule than it did in its early seasons. Ownership is another part of the issue.
The PWHL owns all of its teams directly instead of using separate ownership groups. That means any Edmonton team would likely need an agreement with Oilers Entertainment Group to play at Rogers Place without being owned by OEG.
According to Ice Warriors Media Group, the league and OEG did discuss bringing a team to Edmonton but were unable to reach an agreement. A smaller arena does not seem like an easy answer either. Downtown Community Arena only seats about 1,000 people, which is far below the size most PWHL teams play in.
So while Edmonton looks like a strong hockey market for the league, scheduling issues and arena arrangements may be what is keeping a team out of the city for now.
PWHL expansion keeps moving ahead without Edmonton
While Edmonton is still without a team, the Professional Women’s Hockey League has continued to add new markets at a fast pace. The league recently announced San Jose as its 12th franchise, adding another city to an expansion group that already included Detroit, Hamilton and Las Vegas.
That growth has come quickly. The PWHL started with six teams in 2023 and has now doubled in size in just a few seasons.
San Jose will play out of SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks. The city also brings a large market, growing interest in women’s sports and strong girls hockey participation.
The league’s executive Amy Scheer said San Jose’s hockey background, women’s sports scene and community growth all played a role in the decision.2
The league could also change how it is organized as more teams come in. Officials have previously discussed using conferences or divisions as travel becomes a bigger part of the schedule.
The league owns all of its teams and is backed by Mark Walter and Kimbra Walter. With 12 teams now in place, including seven in the United States, the league may also be in a stronger position when it comes to landing a national broadcast partner.
Edited by Sonali Verma
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