Invest in Hamilton

Hamilton sits within one of the highest concentrations of girls’ hockey participation anywhere in the world. More than 15% of current PWHL players come from the Greater Golden Horseshoe – a number that speaks to how deeply hockey is embedded in this region’s culture. The community has been advocating for a professional women’s hockey team for years. This announcement delivers that.

The PWHL launched in 2023, with its inaugural season beginning January 2024. In just three seasons, it has broken attendance records and set a new global standard for women’s hockey. What started as a six-team league has grown to eleven franchises, with a twelfth expected soon.

Hamilton and Las Vegas were introduced alongside the recently announced Detroit team as the league’s newest expansion franchises. Ontario will now be home to three PWHL teams: Hamilton, the Toronto Sceptres, and the Ottawa Charge – creating a strong provincial triangle of competition and plenty of reasons for fans to travel.

The city’s appetite was already on display when the PWHL brought its 2026 Takeover Tour to TD Coliseum on January 3. A crowd of 16,012 fans turned out for the game between the Toronto Sceptres and Seattle Torrent – the third-largest Takeover Tour crowd of the season and one of the top twenty attendances in league history.

What made this even more telling: more than 70% of ticket buyers were attending their first-ever PWHL game. That is not an overflow from Toronto’s fanbase. That is Hamilton building its own.

The PWHL announcement does not happen in isolation. It is part of a broader transformation taking shape at TD Coliseum and across downtown Hamilton.

As we covered earlier this year, the New York Islanders are relocating their AHL affiliate to the TD Coliseum for the 2026-2027 season – the return of professional men’s hockey to the city for the first time in over a decade. With the PWHL franchise now confirmed, TD Coliseum is set to host three professional sports teams next season:

• Hamilton’s new PWHL franchise – professional women’s hockey at the highest level
• The New York Islanders’ AHL affiliate – professional men’s hockey back in Hamilton
• The Toronto Rock – one of the premier franchises in the National Lacrosse League

That is a full calendar of professional sports driving tourism, restaurant and bar traffic, hotel occupancy, and sustained foot traffic for local businesses. TD Coliseum already welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually across more than 120 events. That number is set to grow.

TD Coliseum has undergone a $300-million redevelopment led by Oak View Group (OVG) in partnership with Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG) and the City of Hamilton. The 18,000-seat facility is one of Canada’s premier mid-sized arenas, featuring upgraded premium suites, enhanced concessions, celebrity-backed restaurants, and a modernized fan experience at the heart of downtown Hamilton.

OVG was instrumental in securing Hamilton’s PWHL expansion bid, maintaining a formal partnership with the league throughout this process. The team is expected to train at Morgan Firestone Arena in Ancaster.

The PWHL also revealed Hamilton’s official team colours. Gold honours the city’s sports history – a nod to both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the former Hamilton Tigers NHL franchise. The maroon reflects Hamilton’s industrial roots, representing the colour of aged steel. Cream rounds out the palette.

The permanent team’s name and full brand identity will be announced later. In the meantime, fans can register for priority season ticket access and pick up early merchandise now.

Hamilton’s connection to hockey spans generations. The Hamilton Tigers competed in the NHL before merging with the Detroit Red Wings organization in 1925. The Hamilton Bulldogs won the Calder Cup in 2007 and made multiple championship appearances across nineteen seasons at TD Coliseum. Junior hockey and grassroots participation have kept that tradition alive across every arena and rink in the city.

Now Hamilton gets to be home to some of the best women’s hockey players in the world.

This is not just a sports announcement. It is another signal that Hamilton is a city that more people are choosing to visit, invest in, and call home.

Hamilton has spent years building towards this moment – arena redevelopment, the AHL announcement, the Toronto Rock, the 16,012-person Takeover Tour crowd that showed up in January without a home team to cheer for. The PWHL completes this picture.

Girls growing up in Hamilton and across the Greater Golden Horseshoe will now have elite women’s hockey in their own backyard. Not on a screen. Not in another city. Right here. Hamilton is proud to be part of that story – and to be the city where the next generation of players gets to see what is possible.

Cover photo: PWHL Hamilton (Instagram @pwhl_hamilton)