The Professional Women’s Hockey League is expanding to Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario, in 2026-27.
The fast-growing league officially announced its 10th and 11th franchises on Wednesday. Detroit previously was announced as the PWHL’s ninth member, also starting in 2026-27.
Las Vegas will play home games at T-Mobile Arena and Hamilton will be based at TD Coliseum.
“The PWHL’s expansion to Hamilton and Las Vegas recognizes two distinct markets and opportunities for the league,” the league said in a press release.
“Hamilton boasts one of the largest and most concentrated areas in the world for girls’ hockey participation, with a community that has rallied for a professional hockey team of their own for generations, while Las Vegas is North America’s entertainment mecca and home to a community that has proudly adopted and embraced hockey and women’s sports.”
The league launched in January 2024 with teams in Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa and Toronto. Seattle and Vancouver joined the PWHL for the current season.
The Las Vegas and Hamilton team names will be revealed at a later date. Las Vegas’ team colors will be green and gold, while Hamilton will feature gold, maroon and cream.
In January, Hamilton drew 16,012 fans for a PWHL game at TD Coliseum between Toronto and Seattle.
“Hamilton and its surrounding communities have long been central to the growth of girls’ and women’s hockey, producing generations of talented players and passionate fans,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations.
“This is a region with deep hockey roots, and the response we saw during our Takeover Tour game at TD Coliseum made it clear that fans in the region are ready to rally around a team of their own.”
Hockey participation among girls and women has skyrocketed in the Las Vegas area since the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural season in 2017.
“While professional women’s hockey may be new to the market, we know Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations.
“This new team will be Las Vegas Valley-born and reflect the identity of its bold, welcoming, and resilient community, with athletes ready to put on a show and build a passionate following across the region.”
Maple Leafs fire head coach Berube
The Maple Leafs fired coach Craig Berube on Wednesday after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Berube, 60, went 84-62-18 after succeeding Sheldon Keefe in 2024. Toronto finished last in the Atlantic Division and next to last in the Eastern Conference this season.
“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” general manager John Chayka said in a statement Wednesday. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”
The Maple Leafs finished 31st in the NHL allowing 3.60 goals per game. Captain Auston Matthews suffered a season-ending left leg injury in March and his future is up in the air.
Toronto has not made a decision on any assistant coaches, whose fate will be in the hands of Berube’s replacement, the team said.
Senior executive adviser Mats Sundin was promoted May 3, when the team named Chayka general manager.
“We have all the resources to be successful but without the right structure, the right processes in place, without the right culture, without the alignment and accountability among everyone inside the operation, we will not be successful. That change starts today,” Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Keith Pelley said earlier this month. “I’m disappointed in our results this season, and I’m disappointed in the results that we have provided to our fans but today is a step to change them and to get back to our winning ways and to contend for the Cup on an annual basis.”
Berube led St. Louis to a Stanley Cup championship in 2019. He is 365-252-90 in 10 seasons as a head coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, Blues and Maple Leafs.
Isles’ Schaefer wins Calder Trophy
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer was named the 2025-26 Calder Memorial Trophy winner on Wednesday.
The award is presented to the player who was the most proficient in his first year in the league.
Schaefer, at 18 years, 223 days on the final day of the regular season, is the youngest winner of the award in NHL history. He is one day younger than Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon in 2013-14.
Schaefer received all 198 first-place votes and finished with 1,980 points. He is the first unanimous recipient of the award since Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets received first-place votes on all 50 ballots cast in 1992-93.
Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov pocketed 120 second-place votes and finished with 1,158 points, followed by Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke (41, 958).
Schaefer, the top overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, learned that he won the award when his father, Todd, and brother, Johnathon, showed up on the set of ABC’s “GMA3” in New York. The latter two traveled from the Toronto suburbs to share in Matthew’s honor.
“We’ve got a lot of good family,” said Matthew Schaefer, 18, “My mom’s helped me and my family so much with everything; obviously we’ve had some tough losses, but it hasn’t stopped us as a family. We’ve gotten a lot closer. For you guys to be here … it means a lot. This year was super important to me.”
Schaefer’s mother, Jennifer, died in 2024 from breast cancer.
Schaefer led all first-year players in ice time (24:41) this season and shared the NHL lead in goals (23) while playing in all 82 games.
Demidov, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, led all 2025-26 rookies in points (62) and assists (43).
Sennecke was tied with Schaefer for the rookie lead in goals and finished two points behind Demidov with 60 points.
Golden Knights’ McNabb suspended 1 game
Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb will serve a one-game suspension for Game 6 of the Golden Knights’ second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks, the NHL’s department of player safety announced Wednesday after a hearing.
McNabb was called for a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct penalty for a first-period hit on Anaheim forward Ryan Poehling in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks.
Poehling, who was pressed against the boards and did not see the hit coming, appeared to hit the back of his head against the glass. He had to be helped off the ice by teammates and did not return to the game.
“It is important to note that Poehling is in no way eligible to be checked on this play,” the NHL’s Department of Player Safety said in a video discussing McNabb’s suspension. “With the puck having long been cleared away from Poehling, and with sufficient time to elect to avoid or minimize contact, McNabb instead finishes the hit with considerable force.”
Ducks coach Joel Quenneville told reporters Wednesday that Poehling will miss at least Game 6 and quite possibly more should Anaheim keep the series alive. Vegas took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series with Tuesday’s win and looks to end the series Thursday at Anaheim.
This is the first suspension of McNabb’s career, which dates back to 2011. He leads all Vegas defensemen with 23 hits and is second on the team with 22 blocked shots this postseason.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Hockey roundup: Las Vegas, Hamilton join Detroit as PWHL expansion teams
Reporting by Detroit News staff and wires / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
