The Seattle Torrent’s dwelling opener in opposition to the Minnesota Frost on Friday broke the file for attendance at knowledgeable ladies’s hockey recreation in america.
The PWHL beforehand set the U.S. attendance file with 14,288 followers at a neutral-site game in Detroit last season. The draw of 16,014 at Local weather Pledge Enviornment — the house of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and now the Torrent — on Friday night time took it up a notch.
The PWHL expanded for the primary time forward of the 2025-26 season, the league’s third after launching in January 2024, by including two groups in Seattle and Vancouver. The league’s newest attendance file is the most recent indication that the PWHL’s westward growth was a smart determination.
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In its first-ever recreation final week, the Vancouver Goldeneyes bought out the Pacific Coliseum (14,958) and drew the biggest crowd of any recreation performed at an everyday PWHL dwelling venue — till Friday. In keeping with the league, Seattle had essentially the most single-day jersey gross sales in PWHL historical past when the crew’s inaugural jerseys went on sale Oct. 21. Vancouver was proper on their heels, and has bought essentially the most season tickets league-wide. Seattle, the league stated, is third, behind Toronto.
The league may add between two and 4 groups by subsequent season, in accordance with govt vice chairman of enterprise operations Amy Scheer, who first went public with the plans when addressing Ottawa metropolis council final month.
“We added Vancouver and Seattle this 12 months. Two groups. We’re going to increase not less than two to 4 groups subsequent 12 months,” she stated. “We’re in progress mode, and this league is exploding.”
This text initially appeared in The Athletic.
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