The Montreal Victoire captured the inaugural Walter Cup, delivering the first Canadian victory in the Professional Women’s Hockey League and marking the first time the trophy has crossed the border from the United States.
A Canadian First, but a U.S. Surge
The league’s momentum is evident in its upcoming 2026/27 season, when it will welcome new franchises in San Jose, Detroit, Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario, swelling the American contingent to seven teams while maintaining five Canadian clubs.
Attendance has surged, with sell‑outs at iconic venues such as Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, Boston’s TD Garden and New York’s Madison Square Garden, and the Seattle Torrent leading the pack with an average crowd of 12,875 fans per game.
Corporate backing has followed suit, as the league announced a 35 percent increase in partners, now totaling 81, and operates under a single‑entity model owned by the Mark Walter Group, a structure that also fuels its California expansion through ties to the ownership and advisory board.
The broader landscape of women’s hockey in the United States reflects this rise, highlighted by Team USA’s sweep of recent international titles and a milestone registration of 100,000 female players, a growth spurred in part by the Vegas Golden Knights’ NHL entry and a 600 percent jump in Nevada’s youth registrations.