Quebec City to host PWHL game, wants an expansion team

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QUEBEC — Quebec City will host a Professional Women’s Hockey League game between Montreal and Ottawa in January, and wants to be a candidate for an expansion franchise.

Wednesday’s announcement came a day after the PWHL said it plans to add two franchises for the start of the 2025-26 season.

The Montreal Victoire will be the home team for the Jan. 19 game against the Ottawa Charge at the Videotron Centre. The Sunday game is one of nine regular-season neutral-site contests scheduled for the upcoming PWHL season.

It’s the PWHL’s first visit to Quebec City and the Videotron Centre, which has a capacity of over 18,000 for hockey.

“I can say without hesitation that my teammates Marie-Philip Poulin and Catherine Dubois, like me, have circled this date on our calendars. It will be very special for us to be able to play a match in Quebec, so close to our families and loved ones,” Victoire goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbiens said in a statement.

Speaking at the ESPNW Summit Tuesady in New York, the PWHL’s senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said the league will begin sending requests for expansion proposals to several markets starting as early as next week, while also accepting applications.

“(We’re) looking for the right market size, right fan base, right facilities, right economic opportunity — so a lot of research to be done over the next couple months,” Scheer said, without specifying which markets the league might be targeting. “But yeah, looking to continue to build the league and grow the number of teams.”

Scheer told the AP the league has targeted more than 20 markets to be issued requests for proposals.

Among the U.S. expansion candidates are Detroit and Pittsburgh, where the PWHL hosted neutral site games during its inaugural season last year. Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia would also be regarded as candidates after both were considered before the league established teams in Boston, New York and Minnesota. Denver and Seattle are also considered potential candidates.

In Canada, Calgary would also be a potential option to join Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto in the league. Calgary was previously home to the Inferno from 2011 to 2019, before the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded.

“I don’t think we rule out any market,” senior vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “This is a good opportunity for us to learn and continue to explore. So everything’s on the table right now.”

The initial timeline calls for requests for proposals to be returned by the end of December to determine interest before assessing each market. Though the goal is adding two teams by next year, Hefford and Scheer would not commit to that being a certainty.

Scheer said geography won’t be a limitation. Neither will a market’s affiliation with an NHL team, though both aspects will be considered.

The only factors to help guide the search, Scheer said, will be market size, access to facilities, economic partnership opportunities and fan base potential.

Hefford wouldn’t rule out considering Southern California or Seattle as possibilities, saying: “This is a good opportunity for us to learn and continue to explore.”

Scheer also announced the league plans to hold neutral site games in nine markets across North America, and is considering holding an outdoor game. Scheer added the league is also working on holding games in Europe, without specifying when that might happen.

The PWHL’s second season opens on Nov. 30, and features an expanded schedule with each team playing 30 games — up from 24 last year. The league has yet to announce where it’s neutral site games will be played.

The PWHL averaged nearly 5,500 fans over 72 regular-season games and set a women’s pro hockey record for attendance, with 21,105 turning out for a game between Toronto and Montreal held at the Bell Centre. The league reached sponsorship deals with companies including Scotiabank, Air Canada, Discover and Hyundai, while having each game broadcast in local markets along with a streaming rights deal with YouTube, which drew 113,000 subscribers.

Just as important is how expansion would address an immediate need in opening roster spots to be filled by a growing number of European players seeking to compete in North America, and the next crop of U.S. college graduates. In June, 167 players representing 19 countries declared being eligible for a seven-round draft in which just 42 were selected.

“The talent pool is only going to continue to grow,” Hefford said.

The PWHL is centrally controlled, with each team operated by the league. There’s long-term stability with Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter committing hundreds of millions of dollars to build the league and with players working under an eight-year collective bargaining agreement running through July 2031.

Beyond this season, Scheer said the league is considering holding an outdoor game as well as playing games in Europe.

Expansion was always under consideration, though Scheer stressed the league is taking a patient approach.

“We will make the right decisions based on growth for hockey, financial decisions, what is the best way to move forward,” she said. “Nobody here is making rash decisions.”

Hefford wouldn’t rule out future rounds of expansion, without saying how many teams would be ideal for a league still in its early stages.

“We know we want to grow,” Hefford said. “But I have a really hard time throwing out a number right now.”