PWHL Hamilton
| PWHL Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Hamilton, Ontario |
| League | PWHL |
| Founded | 2026 |
| Home arena | TD Coliseum |
| Colours | Gold, maroon and cream |
| Owner | Mark Walter Group |
| General manager | Meghan Duggan |
| Head coach | Kris Sparre |
| Website | www |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 0 |
| Walter Cups | 0 |
PWHL Hamilton is an upcoming professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario, that will compete in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are the league's fourth announced expansion franchise, part of the league's second round of expansions alongside Detroit, Las Vegas, and San Jose for the 2026–27 season and was awarded on the same day as Las Vegas. The team will play home games at the newly-renovated TD Coliseum.
History
[edit]Founding
[edit]On January 3, 2026, the 2025–26 PWHL Takeover Tour came to Hamilton for a neutral-site game between the Seattle Torrent and the Toronto Sceptres; a crowd of 16,012 (the third-largest in the tour and among the top 20 most-attended games in PWHL history) saw the Torrent pick up a 3–2 shootout win over the Sceptres. With more than 70% of game attendees buying their first PWHL ticket and more than 15% of PWHL players hailing from the Golden Horseshoe area which Hamilton anchors, Hamilton stood out among the PWHL's potential expansion cities, proving that they could draw a fanbase distinct from the nearby Sceptres'.
The team's founding and entry into the league was announced on May 13, 2026. They will begin playing in the PWHL during the 2026–27 season.[1][2]
The team is the league's tenth franchise overall and its fourth expansion team, part of the second round of expansion. The team will play its games at TD Coliseum, which is also the home of the Hamilton Hammers in the American Hockey League (AHL) which will serve as the New York Islanders' affiliate. The team will be the first PWHL team to hail from a non-NHL city.[1][2]
On May 22, 2026, PWHL Hamilton announced that women's hockey veteran Meghan Duggan would serve as the team's inaugural general manager.[3]
The following week it was announced that 2025–26 Boston Fleet head coach Kris Sparre was going to be the head coach for the new team.[4]
Brianne Jenner became the first player to be signed in the franchise's history as she signed a three-year contract on June 5, 2026.[5]
Team identity
[edit]As part of the expansion announcement, the team's colours were revealed to be gold, maroon and cream; gold as an homage to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League and the Hamilton Tigers of NHL antiquity, maroon as a nod to Hamilton's nickname of "Steeltown" and aged steel in particular.[2] Like all previous teams, the team will temporarily operate as PWHL Hamilton until a permanent team identity is decided.
Players and personnel
[edit]Current roster
[edit]| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Emily Clark | F | L | 30 | 2026 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | |
|
Nicole Gosling | D | L | 24 | 2026 | London, Ontario | |
|
Abby Hustler | F | L | 23 | 2026 | St. Louis, Prince Edward Island | |
|
Brianne Jenner | F | R | 35 | 2026 | Oakville, Ontario | |
 |
Alina Müller | F | L | 28 | 2026 | Lengnau, Aargau | |
|
Kayle Osborne | G | L | 24 | 2026 | Westport, Ontario | |
|
Zoe Boyd | D | L | 25 | 2026 | Caledon East, Ontario | |
 |
Riley Brengman | D | R | 23 | 2026 | China Township, Michigan | |
|
Allyson Simpson | D | R | 25 | 2026 | Frisco, Texas | |
|
Peyton Hemp | F | R | 23 | 2026 | Andover, Minnesota | |
|
Alexa Vasko | F | L | 27 | 2026 | St. Catharines, Ontario | |
|
Kayla Vespa | F | L | 29 | 2026 | Hamilton, Ontario | |
 |
Anna Kjellbin | D | R | 32 | 2026 | Göteberg, Sweden | |
 |
Nelli Laitinen | D | L | 24 | 2026 | Lohja, Finland | |
|
Jade Iginla | F | R | 21 | 2026 | Kelowna, British Columbia | |
|
Elyssa Biederman | F | R | 21 | 2026 | Franklin, Michigan | |
|
Megan Woodworth | F | L | 22 | 2026 | Berwick, Nova Scotia | |
 |
Emma-Sofie Nordstrøm | G | L | 23 | 2026 | Herning, Denmark | |
|
Mya Vaslet | F | L | 23 | 2026 | Stittsville, Ontario |
First-round draft picks
[edit]- 2026: Nelli Laitinen (6th overall)
References
[edit]- 1 2 Donkin, Karissa (May 13, 2026). "PWHL to add teams in Hamilton and Las Vegas ahead of next season". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Professional Women's Hockey League Expands to Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario with 2026–27 Season Debut". Professional Women's Hockey League. May 13, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Meghan Duggan Named General Manager of PWHL Hamilton". PWHL Hamilton. May 22, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Kris Sparre Named Head Coach of PWHL Hamilton". thepwhl.com. May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Brianne Jenner becomes first player signed by Hamilton PWHL team". The Canadian Press. June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
- ↑ "PWHL Hamilton Selects Nelli Laitinen in the First Round of the 2026 PWHL Draft". Professional Women's Hockey League. June 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Mya Vaslet - Stats, Contract, Salary & More". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
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