PWHL confirms Vancouver expansion team beginning next season

The PWHL confirmed plans to bring an expansion team to Vancouver starting in the 2025-26 season.

The franchise will be the PWHL's seventh, joining Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Boston, and Minnesota, which were a part of the league's launch in 2024.

"It is a momentous day for us," executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said, per The Athletic's Hailey Salvian. "Each day we're so grateful and appreciative of how the fans and the cities have embraced us.

"To be able to grow this fast is just a testament to the great sport, our great athletes, and how people feel about the work that we're doing and what our players are putting out on the ice."

Expansion draft details and Vancouver's involvement into the 2025 player draft will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Vancouver will play at the Pacific Coliseum, which formerly housed the WHL's Giants and the NHL's Canucks.

Branding will be unveiled at a later date, but Vancouver's PWHL jerseys will feature "Pacific blue" and cream as their colors.

The PWHL is expected to announce a second expansion team, but a timeline isn't confirmed. Seattle is a front-runner to become the eighth franchise, according to The Associated Press.