Expansion is on the table for the six-team Women’s Professional Hockey League, and executives are putting no limits on which North American markets they will consider in a bid to add two franchises for the 2025-26 season.

The only certainty is the vision that the timing is right to build on support PWHL was created in its inaugural yearand the growth projects of the league, which is entering its second season, which will open on November 30.

“I don’t think we’re ignoring any market,” Jayna Hefford, senior vice president of hockey operations, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “This is a good opportunity for us to learn and continue to explore. So everything is on the table right now.”

To reinforce how open-ended the PWHL’s expansion pursuit will be, Amy Scheer, senior vice president of business operations, told the AP that the league is targeting more than 20 markets that will solicit expansion offers by next week. And that doesn’t include additional markets that may approach the league for consideration.

“I think we want to be an open book and be open to things that we haven’t thought about or considered before,” Scheer said. “We may be surprised until we get the data, the facts, and the conversations. So let’s go.”

The initial timeline calls for requests for proposals to be returned by the end of December to determine interest before evaluating each market. While the goal is to add two teams by next year, Hefford and Scheer aren’t committing to that being a sure thing.

Scheer said geography won’t be a limitation for a league whose teams are currently based in Boston; Newark, New Jersey; St. Paul, Minnesota; Toronto; Montreal; and Ottawa, Ontario. While both aspects are taken into account, a market’s relationship with an NHL team will also not be taken into account.

Scheer said the only factors that will guide the search will be market size, access to facilities, economic partnership opportunities and fan base potential.

Hefford also considers Southern California or Seattle as possibilities, saying: “This is a good opportunity for us to learn and continue to explore.”

Two potential candidates are Detroit and Pittsburgh. Where the PWHL played neutral site games last season. Nine more neutral-site games are planned for this season, but the league has not yet said where those games will be played.

In the US, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia will both be considered candidates after prior consideration; Chicago and Denver also have options.

In Canada, Quebec City has already announced its intention to run. Calgary could be a potential option, as the city hosted the Inferno from 2011 to 2019 before the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded.

The timing of the expansion comes as the league is having a full offseason to take a collective breath to begin open play from scratch on Jan. 1, after spending six months last year. PWHL starts in late June 2023When Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter agreed to finance the league while purchasing its North American rival, the Premier Hockey Association.

The PWHL averaged approximately 5,500 fans for 72 regular season games and set a women’s professional hockey record with an attendance of 21,105 for the NHL’s game between Toronto and Montreal, held at the Canadiens’ home arena. The league made sponsorship deals with companies like Scotiabank, Air Canada, Discover and Hyundai, while ensuring every game was broadcast in local markets and struck a broadcast rights deal with YouTube that attracted 113,000 subscribers.

Just as important is how the expansion will address the urgent need to open roster spots to be filled by the growing number of European players and the next round of U.S. college graduates looking to compete in North America. In June, 167 players representing 19 countries declared themselves eligible for the competition. Seven-round draft in which only 42 people were selected.

“The talent pool will continue to grow,” Hefford said.

The PWHL is centrally controlled and each team is managed by the league. There is long-term stability, with Walter committing hundreds of millions of dollars to build the league and players working under an eight-year collective bargaining agreement that runs through July 2031.

Features of this season extended program Each team has played 30 matches, up from 24 last year. Beyond this season, Scheer said the league is considering hosting games outdoors in addition to playing games in Europe.

Expansion was always considered, but Scheer emphasized that the league is taking a patient approach.

“We will make the right decisions based on growth, financial decisions and what is the best way forward for hockey,” he said. “No one makes rash decisions here.”

Hefford doesn’t rule out future expansion rounds either, without saying how many teams would be ideal for a league still in its infancy.

“We know we want to grow,” Hefford said. “But I’m really having a hard time putting a number on it right now.”