Ontario arena built 40 years ago to attract NHL lands PWHL expansion team

It's official. Pro women's hockey is coming to Hamilton.

The PWHL announced two expansion teams that will compete in the 2026-27 season. Hamilton was one, while the other will be in Las Vegas.

Steeltown, we’re BACK - for good this time. 👏 pic.twitter.com/a5JJHjYd6T

— PWHL Hamilton (@PWHL_Hamilton) May 13, 2026

"The PWHL’s expansion to Hamilton and Las Vegas recognizes two distinct markets and opportunities for the league," the PWHL said in a statement.

"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 new Hamilton team has yet to unveil their jerseys, but revealed that their team colours are gold, maroon, and cream. 

"Gold is a hat tip to the uniforms worn by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the former NHL Hamilton Tigers, while maroon pays homage to Steeltown by representing the color of aged steel," the PWHL announced in a press release. "The permanent brand identity, including the team’s name and logo, will be announced at a later date."

TD Coliseum, where the new PWHL team will call home, was originally built in an attempt to bring in an NHL team to Hamilton. 

While landing an NHL team never came to fruition, TD Coliseum, which has a capacity up to 18,000, should serve as a great venue for PWHL hockey. Built in 1985, the arena underwent major renovations beginning in the summer of 2023.

This won't be the only professional team calling TD Coliseum home, either.

In late March, the AHL announced that the New York Islanders affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, will be relocating to Hamilton and will play out of the TD Coliseum for the 2026-27 season and beyond.

Both Las Vegas and Hamilton will join Detroit as the latest expansion teams announced in the PWHL. The move gives the league 11 teams, and they are believed to be eyeing up one more expansion location ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.