California is getting its 1st professional women’s hockey team. Here are the details
The Professional Women’s Hockey League is adding its 12th and final team for the 2026-27 season, and the league is expanding into California for the first time ever.
On Tuesday morning, the PWHL announced its newest franchise, which will be based in San Jose. The announcement wrapped up development of a four-team expansion for its fourth season.
“Young athletes across Northern California will have something that many of them have never got to experience before, and that is a professional women’s hockey team that they can call their own,” said San Jose Sharks broadcaster Brodie Brazil during a press conference. “It’s gonna be a team they can watch, a team they can cheer for and most importantly, a team they can see themselves in.”
In recent weeks, the league announced two new U.S. teams — in Las Vegas and Detroit — and a Canadian team in Hamilton, a suburb of Toronto approximately 36 miles from the provincial capital city.
Here’s everything to know about the newest pro women’s hockey team.
Does the San Jose team have a name yet?
Though exact branding and naming has yet to be determined, the team’s colors will be orange, blue and white, representing various symbols of California and the city’s flag.
“Orange is also a nod to the Sharks and the region’s historic orange groves, while blue evokes the beauty of California’s ocean coastline and sky,” the announcement read.
An inaugural line of blue and orange San Jose merchandise was available on the PWHL website Tuesday.
Where will the new San Jose hockey team play?
The yet-to-be-named professional women’s hockey team will use SAP Center in San Jose as its home base, alongside the San Jose Sharks NHL team. Training will be held at the Sharks Ice at San Jose ice rink, according to the PWHL’s announcement.
A news release said the expansion was facilitated through a partnership between the Sharks Sports & Entertainment group and the City of San Jose.
“San Jose is cementing its reputation as the premier destination for women’s sports in our region — and today’s announcement is another major win for our city,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan in a news release.
Can you purchase a membership for San Jose’s PWHL team yet?
Season memberships to attend 2026-27 home games at SAP Center were not yet available following the announcement, but fans can place a $50 deposit toward the ticket price to get priority access once they go on sale.
Members will get discounted ticket pricing, access to exclusive events, a discount on merchandise, an annual gift and other perks, according to the PWHL website.
Deposits will not guarantee access to a season membership, but they can be applied to a future membership if needed.
The league as of Tuesday had not announced when season tickets would go on sale as of Tuesday.
When does the 2026-27 PWHL schedule come out?
The league’s schedule for the upcoming season has not been announced yet. In 2025, the following season’s schedule was announced Oct. 1.
The 2025-26 regular season had each team play 30 games, an increase from prior years to accommodate new teams. With another four new teams entering the rink next season, it is possible the regular season will continue to grow. The regular season started in November and ran through April, with the playoffs kicking off April 30 and ending this week.
PWHL dropped its first puck in January 2024, and it has since crowned the Minnesota Frost league champions twice. A new champion is set to be decided this week, with the Frost being eliminated during the playoff semifinals.
Currently, the Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge are closing out the season with a best-of-five playoff series. Montreal won the first two games, but on Monday evening, Ottawa narrowly avoided elimination with a 2-1 win in the third playoff game.
Montreal has the opportunity to clinch the Walter Cup in Wednesday night’s Game 4, or a winner-take-all Game 5 will be played Saturday if Ottawa ties the series.
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