The Professional Women’s Hockey League confirmed San Jose as its 12th team on Tuesday, completing a four‑team expansion that doubles the league’s size since its 2023 launch. The new club will call the SAP Center, home of the NHL Sharks, its base. Executive vice president Amy Scheer praised the city’s deep hockey culture and booming women’s‑sports scene as an ideal platform for growth.

San Jose joins Detroit, Las Vegas and Hamilton as the latest expansion, following Seattle and Vancouver’s entry last season. The Bay Area already houses Bay FC (NWSL) and the Golden State Valkyries (WNBA), the latter paying an $50 million fee that pushed its valuation to $850 million. Adding a West Coast market of 7.6 million people cuts travel distances and deepens the league’s regional footprint.

Twelve franchises now give the PWHL seven U.S. clubs, a footprint that strengthens its bid for a national TV partner; Scripps Sports may broadcast playoff games on ION to 126 million homes. Post‑Olympic hype and a draft class loaded with Olympic gold‑medalists fuel the growth. San Jose’s addition locks in a West Coast market and delivers a hometown professional women’s hockey team.