The Professional Women’s Hockey League is set to become the second professional hockey team in Las Vegas beginning later this year.
The expansion team is already taking shape as it has begun preparing for next week’s PWHL draft and announced its first general manager.
Unlike many other major North American sports leagues, the PWHL does not have individual or local franchise owners. Instead, the entire league is run by a single entity: billionaire Mark Walter, head of the Mark Walter Group.
If that name sounds familiar, it might be because Walter is also the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Sparks.
While the eventual goal may be for individual owners to operate the different franchises within the PWHL, it doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon, after Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations, stated that there was “no timeline for that.”
However, each team does appoint a general manager, and Vegas did so last month when the team announced that Los Angeles native Dominque DiDia would serve in that role.
DiDia began her career with the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL in 2012 and over the course of nine years, rose to become the director of marketing and content publicity before joining CAA Sports in 2022 as the agency’s marketing executive in the hockey department.
“I am honored to help lead the launch of PWHL Las Vegas as we begin a new chapter for women’s hockey in one of the most dynamic sports cities in the world,” DiDia said in a statement. “Las Vegas has embraced hockey with a rare intensity, and you can feel that the game has become part of this city’s heartbeat.
“I cannot wait to get started, build a championship culture, and establish PWHL Las Vegas as a world-class sports franchise.”
DiDia’s first order of business was to begin fielding a team that can be competitive right out of the gate, similar to what the city saw with the Vegas Golden Knights.
However, the signing process in the PWHL differs significantly from the NHL’s expansion process.
There is no “expansion draft,” but existing teams submitted protection lists to protect key players on their rosters.
The players who were not “protected” can negotiate and reach terms with new expansion teams entering the league. To maintain a fair and competitive balance within the league, only up to three players can be signed from a single franchise.
All of this is done through a six-phase process laid out by the PWHL to maintain signing deadlines prior to the June 17 entry draft.
The first phase lasted from June 2-3, where existing teams were allowed to make signings while also submitting their protection lists.
The second phase, which took place from Friday to Monday, was the foundational signing period for each expansion team, and Las Vegas made several moves during that period, including signing and trading five-time Olympian Hilary Knight to Detroit in exchange for a first-round draft pick.
The team also signed former Minnesota Frost defenders Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper, as well as two players who led the Montreal Victoire to a 2025 Walter Cup title: defender Erin Ambrose and forward Hayley Scamurra.
Following the conclusion of the draft, any unsigned or unprotected players will be allowed to sign with any team during the open signing period in the sixth phase.
The Las Vegas PWHL franchise has yet to formally announce its coaching staff or an official team name, but DiDia said Tuesday she planned to hire Kim Weiss as head coach. Weiss in her second season with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles was promoted to assistant coach and is one of two women in the league to be a full-time assistant.
Key dates
May 28, noon — Phase 1 Negotiation list submission deadline
June 1, 9 a.m. — Preliminary player negotiation period opens
June 2-3 — Phase 1: Existing team signings and protections
June 5-8 — Phase 2: Expansion team foundational signing period
June 10-12 — Phase 3: Preliminary ppen signing period for all teams
June 14-15 — Phase 4: Expansion signing period
June 16 and 18 — Phase 5: Existing team exclusive re-signing period
June 17 — PWHL draft
June 19, 9 a.m. — Phase 6: Open signing period begins for all teams
