PWHL Secures First Season-Long U.S. National Broadcast Deal Ahead of 12-Team Expansion

The Professional Women's Hockey League is scaling up its United States footprint in a massive and unprecedented way. Ahead of a highly anticipated 2026-27 season that will see the league double its original size to 12 teams, the PWHL has officially secured its first season-long U.S. national broadcast agreement with Scripps Sports. Announced on September 9, 2026, this landmark television package ensures that American fans will have consistent, weekly access to the highest level of women's ice hockey. The agreement builds upon a successful trial run from the previous spring, when Scripps broadcast a select number of regular-season games followed by the entire Walter Cup Finals playoff series. Now, the network is committing to a full-season slate, marking a transformative moment for a league that launched just three years ago with only six original franchises.[1][3][5]

The cornerstone of this new media rights partnership is a featured Saturday "Game of the Week" that will air exclusively on ION, Scripps' national sports and entertainment network. This placement guarantees enormous visibility, as ION is available over-the-air, across traditional pay television, and on connected TV platforms, reaching an estimated 128 million households across the United States. In addition to the flagship Saturday broadcasts, the Scripps Sports Network—a free, 24/7 ad-supported streaming television channel—will carry two national PWHL games per week. This FAST channel is widely accessible on major streaming platforms including Roku, Prime Video, Fire TV, Google TV Freeplay, and Tubi, ensuring that cord-cutters have ample opportunity to follow the league's 12 franchises throughout the winter and spring.[1][3][5]

Beyond the national broadcast windows, the Scripps agreement strategically addresses the local television needs of two of the PWHL's newest expansion markets. For the newly minted franchises in Detroit and Las Vegas, Scripps affiliates will serve as the exclusive local broadcast homes. WMYD-TV, branded as The Spot – Detroit 20, will carry the local game coverage for the Detroit club, while KMCC-TV, known as The Spot – Vegas 34, will broadcast games for the Las Vegas team. This localized approach is critical for building dedicated fanbases from the ground up in these new hockey markets. By securing both national reach and targeted local distribution simultaneously, the PWHL is laying a robust media foundation for its expansion teams before they even play their first official regular-season game.[1][3]

This television milestone arrives precisely as the PWHL prepares for its largest and most logistically complex campaign to date. The league is officially adding four new teams this fall: Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose. This aggressive four-team expansion follows the successful integration of the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes for the 2025-26 season. With these latest additions, the PWHL's geographic footprint now spans seven franchises in the United States and five in Canada, effectively doubling the size of the six-team circuit that debuted in January 2024. The San Jose franchise will share the 17,500-seat SAP Center with the NHL's San Jose Sharks, while the Detroit team will take the ice at the 19,000-seat Little Caesars Arena, highlighting the league's continued push into premier, NHL-caliber venues.[3][4][6]

League and network executives have framed this broadcast deal as a natural evolution of the surging demand for professional women's sports. "A season-long national television presence in the U.S. is something we've been working toward and represents a significant step in our continued growth as a league," said PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations Amy Scheer following the announcement. Scheer emphasized that the partnership makes the league more accessible to American fans than ever before. Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor echoed that sentiment, noting that the addition of the PWHL perfectly complements a growing Scripps women's sports portfolio that already includes the WNBA and the NWSL. "This partnership further demonstrates ION as the premier destination for women's sports where athletes can showcase their talents on the biggest stage," Lawlor stated.[1][3][5]

With the broadcast infrastructure now firmly in place, the league's focus shifts to the ice, where the expanded 12-team roster will soon begin preparations for the grueling 2026-27 campaign. On September 10, the PWHL announced that training camps will officially open on Wednesday, November 18, 2026. This start date was strategically scheduled to follow the conclusion of the 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship, which takes place in Denmark from November 6 to November 16, ensuring that international stars can seamlessly transition back to their professional clubs. Each of the 12 teams is expected to invite between 28 and 32 players to their respective camps, sparking intense roster battles as veterans and newly drafted rookies compete for a limited number of standard player agreements.[2]

To evaluate these expanded training camp rosters, the PWHL has organized a comprehensive slate of preseason scrimmages running from November 22 through November 30. All 12 teams will participate in these exhibition contests, which will be hosted across five different PWHL markets to give fans an early look at the new lineups. Three of the league's four expansion teams will serve as hosts during this period. PWHL San Jose will play the Seattle Torrent at Tech CU Arena, while PWHL Las Vegas will welcome the Minnesota Frost and Vancouver Goldeneyes to America First Center. Meanwhile, PWHL Hamilton will host a multi-team gathering at Morgan Firestone Arena, featuring the Detroit expansion team, the Ottawa Charge, and the Toronto Sceptres.[2]

Every preseason scrimmage will feature 60 minutes of full-stoppage gameplay with 21-player lineups, followed by a mandatory 3-on-3 overtime period and a shootout, regardless of the final score in regulation. This format is designed to give coaches maximum evaluation time in high-pressure situations before finalizing their opening night rosters. As the league marches toward a highly anticipated late-November regular-season start, the combination of a massive U.S. broadcast footprint and four new fanbases eagerly awaiting puck drop positions the PWHL's fourth season to be its most transformative yet. The rapid ascent from a six-team startup to a 12-team continental fixture underscores a booming market for professional women's hockey, and this Scripps Sports partnership ensures that millions of new viewers will be able to witness that growth firsthand.[1][2][3]