Jayna Hefford, executive VP of hockey operations for the PWHL, at TD Coliseum on Thursday. Hamilton is the PWHL’s first non-NHL market.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
Players from four girls’ hockey associations, donning Stoney Creek Sabres, Hamilton Hawks and other jerseys, roamed the concourse at the recently renovated TD Coliseum in Hamilton on Thursday.
When Tessa Bonhomme, co-host of the PWHL’s Jocks in Jills podcast, took to the stage on the arena’s 100-level, the murmuring among players and other attendees quieted. The young women in attendance watched as Bonhomme, with a maroon-tinted backdrop behind her, formally introduced PWHL Hamilton, the league’s latest expansion franchise.
Hamilton is the PWHL’s first non-NHL market.
“It represents the continued momentum of women’s hockey,” Bonhomme said about the announcement. “It represents a new opportunity for athletes and for young fans, and the next generation growing up in this community.”
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Elyse Tidridge is part of that future generation growing up in Hamilton. The 14-year-old, who had an ‘A’ on her Flamborough Falcons jersey, spoke on the same stage Bonhomme did later in the day.
After PWHL executive vice-president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath and other speakers took to the PWHL Hamilton-branded podium, Tidridge discussed the impact hockey has had on her life.
“The rink is my happy place,” she said. “It’s where I go to improve my life skills and hockey skills.”
Tidridge told The Globe and Mail that she’s excited to have a local team to root for.
“I get to have an example now,” Tidridge said. “I get to look up to greats like Sarah Nurse and big names in Hamilton, and it’s inspirational for them to set the example, the bar.”
Members of the Stoney Creek Sabres pose for a photo with Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
The new club will share TD Coliseum with the New York Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate. The PWHL-AHL pair will be the first professional hockey teams in the Southern Ontario city in more than a decade. The arena has a capacity of 16,400 for hockey.
“We’re thrilled,” Horwath said. “I was a little bit thinking this wasn’t going to happen because of the proximity [to Toronto], but bring it on.”
Hamilton’s first PWHL game came in January during the 2026 Takeover Tour when the Toronto Sceptres – now rivals of the newly minted Hamilton club – faced the Seattle Torrent. When the gates opened, 16,012 fans flooded TD Coliseum, where more than 70 per cent of people were first-time ticket purchasers, according to the PWHL.
“We’re excited about this market and the Golden Horseshoe area,” Hefford said. “A super-high concentration of girls and women’s hockey. The data we’ve seen suggests that there’s a huge fan base in this area that doesn’t necessarily cut into Toronto.”
The league said over 15 per cent of PWHL players hail from the Greater Golden Horseshoe region.
“The fan base that was brought from all over the region, not just from Hamilton but from Niagara region, Kitchener region to Waterloo region, the [Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area], also from Buffalo and further out,” Horwath said. “This is a really great centre for this kind of sport, but also this venue.”
Hefford said factors such as engaged civic leadership and facility partners helped Hamilton stand out during the expansion process.
The league will announce Hamilton’s official team name and logo at a later date. The unnamed club’s colours are gold, maroon and cream. Maroon is a nod to Hamilton’s steel industry, while gold salutes the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats and former NHL team, the Hamilton Tigers.
A message announcing the PWHL in Hamilton on a screen during a news conference in Hamilton's TD Coliseum on Thursday.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
Morgan Firestone Arena will serve as the team’s training facility. The rink, located in Ancaster, Ont., is also the home of the Ancaster Avalanche – another youth club in attendance on Thursday. Horwath said some minor renovations for the arena are “on the docket.”
Now, more than one-quarter of all teams – barring additional expansion – will be based in Ontario for the 2026-27 PWHL season.
Hamilton joins Detroit and Las Vegas as markets the PWHL is expanding to for next season, bringing the total number of teams to 11. As for the PWHL expanding to a 12th market before season four’s puck drop?
“If we announce, we announce,” Hefford said. “But as of today, we’re 11 teams and excited about talking about Hamilton.”