Seattle will receive further elite ice hockey action with Climate Pledge Arena to host a Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) expansion franchise.
Today’s (Wednesday’s) announcement will see PWHL Seattle begin play in the 2025-26 season. It comes after Vancouver was last week also awarded an expansion team for the 2025-26 campaign.
Seattle joins Vancouver as the PWHL’s first two expansion teams alongside the inaugural six markets (Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto), extending the league’s footprint to the Pacific Northwest ahead of its third season. The new team will join the league’s single-entity ownership structure under The Walter Group.
The decision to expand to Seattle follows an extensive Request for Proposal process and reflects the initial stages of the league’s long-term vision for strategic growth. Seattle’s bid was led by Oak View Group (OVG), the developers and operators of Climate Pledge Arena, alongside the Seattle Kraken.
The Kraken debuted at Climate Pledge Arena as the NHL’s most recent expansion team back in October 2021. Located at Seattle Center, OVG oversaw the complete redevelopment of a venue originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.
The PWHL said Seattle emerged as a “natural fit” for expansion for several reasons, including its best-in-class facilities, a growing youth hockey community, and passionate women’s sports fanbase. The city’s leg of the PWHL Takeover Tour drew a crowd of 12,608 at Climate Pledge Arena on January 5.
“We are looking forward to returning the love, energy and excitement the Seattle sports community shared with us during the PWHL Takeover Tour,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice-president of business operations.
“The opportunity to start a new chapter of women’s hockey in the Pacific Northwest, combined with calling the world-class Climate Pledge Arena home has so much meaning for our league. The Kraken already have been unbelievably supportive, and it’s a joy to have PWHL Seattle join the WNBA’s Storm and the NWSL’s Reign, who are skyscrapers in the city’s towering sports landscape.”
Samantha Holloway, Seattle Kraken co-owner, added: “Seattle is an incredible sports city and we’ve seen firsthand the passion for the women’s game – at both the US v Canada Rivalry game and the PWHL Takeover Tour.
“We’re also proud to grow the game of hockey at Kraken Community Iceplex and together we’ll continue to inspire the next generation of hockey players and fans alike.”
