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PWHL San Jose

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PWHL San Jose
CitySan Jose, California
LeaguePWHL
Founded2026
Home arenaSAP Center
ColoursOrange, blue and white
     
OwnerMark Walter Group
General managerTroy Ryan
Head coachTroy Ryan
CaptainTBA
Websitewww.thepwhl.com/en/teams/san-jose
Championships
Regular season titles0
Walter Cups0

PWHL San Jose is an upcoming professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, that will compete in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are the league's sixth announced expansion franchise, concluding the league's second round of expansions alongside Detroit, Hamilton, and Las Vegas for the 2026–27 season. The team will play home games at SAP Center.

History

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Founding

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Despite San Jose not having hosted a PWHL Takeover Tour game (making them the second PWHL expansion city to not have previously hosted one), the success of the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks, the San Francisco Bay Area's strong support of women's sports in general (with the Women's National Basketball Association's Golden State Valkyries and the National Women's Soccer League's Bay FC in particular setting attendance records since beginning play in the last two years as well as the creation of the Women's Pro Baseball League's San Francisco Firebells) and California's strong support of women's hockey in particular (ranking sixth in the United States in women's hockey participation behind five colder-climate states) led the PWHL to place an expansion team there.

The team's founding and entry into the league was announced on May 19, 2026. They will begin playing in the PWHL during the 2026–27 season.[1][2]

The team is the league's twelfth franchise overall and its sixth expansion team, part of the second round of expansion. The team will play its games at SAP Center, which is also the home of the San Jose Sharks.[1][2]

On May 22, 2026, PWHL San Jose announced former Toronto Sceptres and current Canada women's national ice hockey team head coach Troy Ryan as the team's inaugural head coach and general manager, making him the first person to hold both roles simultaneously for a PWHL team.[3]

Team identity

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As part of the expansion announcement, the team's colors were revealed to be orange, blue and white. The color scheme is inspired by the San Jose city flag and represents the Bay Area's optimistic energy. The individual colors hold additional significance: orange is an homage to the Sharks' secondary color and the area's orange groves, and blue is a nod to the Pacific Ocean coastline and sky above.[2] Like all previous teams, the team will temporarily operate as PWHL San Jose until a permanent team identity is decided. Current San Jose mayor Matt Mahan pitched the name "Hammerheads" in honor of former San Jose mayor Susan Hammer, who helped bring the Sharks to San Jose during her tenure.[4] PWHL Senior Vice President of Business Operations Amy Scheer confirmed in an interview that Hammerheads is on the short list of names.[5]

Players and personnel

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Current roster

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As of July 18, 2026[6]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
United States Brooke Bryant F R 26 2026 Linden, California
Canada Tia Chan G R 24 2026 Hamilton, Ontario
Canada Anne Cherkowski F R 24 2026 Coldstream, British Columbia
Canada Maggie Connors F L 25 2026 St John's, Newfoundland
Italy Kristin Della Rovere F R 25 2026 Caledon, Ontario
United States Laila Edwards D R 22 2026 Cleveland Heights, Ohio
United States Rory Guilday D L 24 2026 Chanhassen, Minnesota
United States Hadley Hartmetz D R 25 2026 Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
United States Mariah Keopple D L 26 2026 Menomonie, Wisconsin
Canada Reichen Kirchmair F L 22 2026 Oakville, Ontario
United States Abbey Levy G L 26 2026 Congers, New York
United States Sloane Matthews F R 22 2026 Wayzata, Minnesota
Czech Republic Natálie Mlýnková F L 25 2026 Zlin, Czech Republic
Canada Kristin O'Neill F L 28 2026 Oakville, Ontario
Czech Republic Daniela Pejšová D L 24 2026 Teplice, Czech Republic
Canada Corinne Schroeder G L 27 2026 Elm Creek, Manitoba
United States Lily Shannon F R 23 2026 Andover, Massachusetts
Canada McKenna Van Gelder F R 22 2026 Etobicoke, Ontario
Canada Maddi Wheeler F L 23 2026 Erinsville, Ontario

First-round draft picks

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References

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  1. 1 2 "PWHL expands to San Jose as league grows to 12 teams". ESPN. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Professional Women's Hockey League Expands to San Jose, California for 2026–27 Season". Professional Women's Hockey League. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Troy Ryan Named General Manager and Head Coach of PWHL San Jose". PWHL San Jose. May 22, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  4. ↑ Furtado, Noah (May 19, 2026). "San Jose adds to Bay Area women's sports bonanza with PWHL expansion team". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  5. ↑ San Jose Sharks (May 19, 2026). Growing the Game: Amy Scheer. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via YouTube.
  6. ↑ "San Jose Roster Tracker". ThePWHL.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
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