The Professional Women's Hockey League announced its newest franchise in San Jose, a team that will wear colors drawn directly from the city’s flag — orange, blue and white.
A Colorful Vision for the Bay Area
The choice of orange is meant to echo the iconic orange groves that once defined the region and the energy of the San Jose Sharks, while the blue reflects the Pacific coastline and the clear California sky.
The franchise will call the SAP Center its game‑day home, sharing the arena with the NHL’s Sharks, and will train at the nearby Sharks Ice facility, a partnership that underscores the city’s deep hockey roots.
The expansion marks the third professional sports league in the Bay Area to grow this decade, following the arrival of Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League and the Golden State Valkyries in the Women's National Basketball Association.
League officials will hold a news conference at the SAP Center to formally unveil the team, with plans to begin competition in the 2026‑27 season, adding to a league that now fields eight clubs and is projected to double its membership after recent additions in Detroit, Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario.
Executives from Sharks Sports & Entertainment and city leaders say the move cements San Jose’s reputation as a true hockey city, a status that will be reinforced as the roster, coaching staff and nickname are finalized in the coming weeks.
While the league has not yet decided whether to increase the number of games per season or to split into divisions, the focus remains on building a competitive product that showcases the talent of women’s professional hockey.