Members of Ancaster Avalanche excited as Hamilton gets PWHL team

It’s a big day for the Hamilton Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) as it officially announced a new team for the city.

The move is a part of the league’s expansion plan to have twelve teams on board.

TD Coliseum is definitely going to draw crowds into the city’s core come the 2026-27 season for Hamilton’s PWHL team.

For the girls in the Ancaster Avalanche junior ice hockey team, Hamilton’s very own PWHL team is more than just a hometown squad to root for.

“When I first started, there really was no women’s league that you could watch or like on TV or anything, so it’s kind of cool seeing now that dreams can become reality,” said Hanna Stetson on the Ancaster Avalanche team.

“The girls here can dream big and they have something to look forward to in the future when we get older,” said Kennedy Buffett, also on the Ancaster Avalanche team.

“I aspire to be like them someday, I know a lot of other girls do too,” said London Buffett on the Ancaster Avalanche team.

WATCH MORE: Hockey in the Hammer: Hamilton to get PWHL team

In fact, the new PWHL team will practice at the home of the Avalanche, the Morgan Firestone Arena in Ancaster.

“They’re going to have an all-girls team here in Hamilton and I’m really excited for that,” said Maiya Winton on the junior girls hockey team.

“Just watching hockey, like the boys, and then when the girls (announcement) came out, I got really inspired to be like that one day,” said Chelsea Fraser, also on the Ancaster Avalanche team.

The league made the announcement Wednesday — a women’s hockey team in “The Hammer” has been a long time coming.

“Well, there was nothing for us to look forward to, so we all looked up to the NHL and we always, you know, dreamt about playing in the NHL, but it really wasn’t a reality for us,” said Olympic medalist and Ancaster Avalanche Coach Geraldine Heaney.

“I’m pretty excited — I think I was born at the wrong time,” said Char Roarco, the director of hockey operations for the Ancaster Avalanche team. “I think it would’ve been super fun if I had the opportunity to strive for something like that, but it’s super exciting for women’s hockey for Hamilton and for Canada as a whole.”

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But better late than never, and what better city than “The Hammer,” home to over 15 per cent of the players on the current PWHL roster.

“Hopefully we built a really good relationship with the pro team to get the girls more involved, and they’re going to loop up to those girls, right, and they’re going to dream to play on that team one day, and they can play in their hometown,” said Heaney.

“The more you can get them involved, it all builds on itself and the more examples like the WHL, like university hockey, is really good for the sport and for everyone involved,” said Stephen Raitt, the team’s high performance director.

The Toronto Sceptres were in Hamilton earlier in January for their “Takeover Tour,” where the turnout was just a taste of the city’s love for the sport.

The league says the details about the new teams and how they will be integrated into the draft in June will be announced at a later date.

For now, if the team needs some ideas as to their name, some members of the Ancaster Avalanche suggest maybe the “Hamilton Hammers,” the “Hamilton Huskies,” or maybe the “Hamilton Avalanche” name.

The PWHL is set to make a formal announcement at TD Coliseum Thursday at 1 p.m.

WATCH MORE: PWHL Takeover Tour brings women’s pro hockey to Hamilton