PWHL’s Seattle Torrent Sets U.S. Women’s Hockey Attendance Record at Climate Pledge Arena

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) set a new U.S. arena attendance record for women’s hockey on Friday night as 17,335 fans filled Climate Pledge Arena for the Seattle Torrent’s matchup against the Toronto Sceptres.

The sold-out crowd marked the largest attendance for a professional women’s hockey game in a U.S. arena, surpassing the previous record of 17,228 set earlier this season during the PWHL Takeover Tour at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., where the Montréal Victoire faced the New York Sirens.

Friday’s game also represented the third time the league has broken the U.S. attendance record during its third season. The Torrent previously set a then-record of 16,014 fans during their inaugural home opener against the Minnesota Frost on November 28, also at Climate Pledge Arena.

The matchup was the first for both Seattle and Toronto following the league’s pause for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. The international tournament featured significant PWHL representation, with 61 players—approximately 30% of the league—competing for their respective countries. Of those, 41 athletes returned with medals.

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League-wide growth has continued throughout the 2026 campaign. Prior to the Olympic break, overall attendance was up 17% season-over-season across 61 games. The Olympic spotlight further accelerated fan engagement: on February 24 and 25, the PWHL recorded its two highest single-day home venue ticket sales totals since opening night on November 22.

Commercial metrics also reflected the league’s momentum. Merchandise sales increased 101% compared to the season-to-date trend prior to the Olympics, while website traffic during the Olympic period rose nearly sixfold. Notably, 73% of website visitors during that span were new users.

Notably, PWHL recently appointed Oak View Group’s Global Partnerships division as its exclusive sponsorship sales agency to expand commercial revenue across all eight teams. The partnership launches with a multi-year deal naming Global Industrial Company as the league’s first official industrial supplies partner, with branding and game-day activations planned across team assets.