As Seattle’s New Pro Women’s Hockey Season Nears, Hilary Knight Is All In on Expanding the Sport’s Fan Base

With puck drop on Friday, the four-time Olympic medalist is looking forward to bringing the league to the Pacific Northwest.

Hilary Knight / Courtesy of PWHL

The PWHL officially begins its 2025-26 season on Friday, and it’s never been a more exciting time to be a professional women’s hockey fan. Two expansion teams based out of the Pacific Northwest are joining the franchise this season, including the Seattle Torrent and the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

While the PWHL started with six teams when it launched two years ago, an increase in both attendance at games and scoring on the ice is partially to thank for this year’s two additional teams making their debut. According to AP News, attendance was at an average of 5,500 fans per game in the inaugural season, while that number jumped to 7,365 in the league’s second season. After much speculation, the PWHL’s expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver were announced this past April, following the league’s Takeover Tour, which took place at the beginning of the year and tested attendance and interest in new markets like Denver, Detroit, Raleigh and St. Louis.

One of the most notable names making the Seattle Torrent’s roster in its inaugural season is four-time Olympic medalist Hilary Knight. The 36-year-old athlete, who signed a one-year contract with the new expansion team following her two year stint with the PWHL in Boston, is one of the sport’s most legendary athletes.

Following an incredible collegiate career with the Wisconsin Badgers, Knight made her professional hockey debut with the CWHL in 2012, later playing with the NWHL before joining the PWHL in its inaugural season in 2023. That same year, Knight was named the IIHF Female Player of the Year and served as captain of the gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s World Championship team.

Bringing the PWHL to the Pacific Northwest

SI Lifestyle had the opportunity to catch up with the forward ahead of Friday’s puck drop, and Knight couldn’t be more excited for the start of the 2025-26 season.

“ It’s an amazing city to be a part of,” Knight says of Seattle. “I’m really looking forward to our fan base and the work that we can do in the community as well to grow hockey and just have a positive impact on other people’s lives through a sport that we love.”

Hilary Knight / Courtesy of PWHL

Named first captain of the inaugural team in franchise history, she’ll bring years of experience on the ice to her team, which also consists of notable names (and fellow U.S. National Team players) Alex Carpenter and Cayla Barnes. And while the expansion team hits the ice for the very first time on Friday, Nov. 21, the goal is the same as always for Knight: bringing home the Walter Cup.

“Just going into year three, I understand how hard it is to make playoffs at the end of the year, to make sure you have enough stamina for the end of the year if you do get into playoffs. There’s all sorts of variables that go into it and making sure that your team’s healthy and whatnot and in a good mental space,” Knight explains of her outlook on the season ahead. “We have such a great team and we have a lot of work to do, obviously, being brand new in the market, figuring out all that chemistry and sort of the nuances of being brand new in Seattle and what that brings, but I’m really looking forward to the challenges that are coming up [and] we wanna win at the end of the year.”

Creating space for future athletes

The start of the season is bittersweet for Knight, as she leaves behind an incredible fandom in Boston. However, she’s thrilled to help bring a professional women’s hockey franchise to the city of Seattle. And with the PWHL franchise expanding to the Pacific Northwest this season, Knight says increased visibility is removing barriers for young girls who aspire to play the sport professionally.

“ I think that’s the biggest thing, and I think we’ve done, so far, a tremendous job of limiting those barriers,” she notes. “But obviously, being a woman in the world, you’re going to have a ton of barriers where doors aren’t necessarily open for you, so I think the league is a great first great step in being able to have a career path to play professional women’s hockey at a super, super high level.”

From a young age, Knight has been promoting visibility in a sport that, until recently, was only widely recognized every four years during the Winter Olympics. In sharing her experience, she hopes to make the journey for the next generation of aspiring professional female hockey players a little bit more manageable.

“That’s always been sort of a marching call for me when I approach things,” she explains. “ I don’t know if that’s just sort of innate being a woman in sport and not seeing a space for yourself and trying to create a space and figuring out how to break down those barriers or just the love of the game and wanting to be able to share that with as many people as possible.”

Hilary Knight / Courtesy of PWHL

How to tune in to the PWHL season opener

On Friday, Nov. 21, fans can tune in to the action as the PWHL’s 2025-26 season begins with a double-header, including a matchup between the franchise’s newest expansion teams. The Seattle Torrent and the Vancouver Goldeneyes will take the ice at Pacific Coliseum with puck drop at 7 p.m. PST.

“ You’re gonna see the best hockey in the world,” Knight promises. “I think that’s really exciting [and] we’ve done a really good job of creating space for all different types of hockey fans ... We’ve created an amazing climate for everyone to get involved and cheer on their favorite team and their favorite players, and you’re gonna see the best players on the ice dual it out every single time we face off.”

Find the complete PWHL 2025-26 season schedule here, and tune in to games throughout the season on YouTube.