The Professional Women's Hockey League is set to make history this Tuesday with the official announcement of its fourth and final expansion team: PWHL San Jose, joining the league for the 2026-27 season.

This marks a major milestone for women's hockey, as San Jose becomes the newest franchise in a rapidly growing league. The team will join Detroit, Las Vegas, and Hamilton as the latest additions, bringing the PWHL to a total of 12 teams for the 2026-27 season.

The Bay Area has long been a hotbed for hockey passion, and now it's getting its own professional women's team. PWHL San Jose will share the iconic SAP Center with the NHL's San Jose Sharks, tapping into one of the largest markets in the United States—drawing fans from San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland.

Finalizing the deal took some extra time, as the league and the Sharks organization worked through the logistics of scheduling PWHL games within the NHL calendar. According to sources, this was the last hurdle to cross before the agreement could be signed, but both sides were committed to making it work.

The Sharks have a strong history of supporting women's and girls' hockey in the area, making this partnership a natural fit. San Jose itself is the 12th most populous city in the U.S., and California is the most populated state—giving the PWHL a massive new audience.

With this expansion, the league will feature seven American teams (Boston, New York, Minnesota, Detroit, Las Vegas, Seattle, and San Jose) and five Canadian teams (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Vancouver). It's the first time the PWHL will have an imbalance between the two countries, but it's a clear sign of the league's growing footprint south of the border.

Get ready, hockey fans—San Jose is about to become a new hub for the PWHL, and the future of women's hockey has never looked brighter.