Seattle Torrent
PWHL expansion team based in Seattle, playing at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Seattle Torrent are a professional women’s ice hockey team based in Seattle and a member of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). They joined the league for the 2025–26 season alongside the Vancouver Goldeneyes, marking the PWHL’s first expansion. The Torrent play their home games at Climate Pledge Arena, sharing the venue with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm.
Seattle had been a candidate for PWHL expansion before the league officially announced the new franchise on April 30, 2025. The city hosted a Takeover Tour game in January 2025 between the Boston Fleet and Montreal Victoire at Climate Pledge Arena, drawing 12,608 fans. Seattle also set a U.S. record for non-college women’s hockey attendance in 2022, when 14,551 people watched a Rivalry Series game between the U.S. and Canadian national teams. The Torrent became the league’s eighth franchise and second expansion team. The Kraken, part of the bidding group alongside arena operator Oak View Group, assist the Torrent with marketing and business operations. The team’s initial colors—emerald green and cream—were revealed at expansion, with the final identity unveiled on November 6, 2025, as the Seattle Torrent. Their colors, inspired by Pacific Northwest landscapes, include slate green, river blue, glacier blue, foam, haze grey, and basalt black. After home goals, Climate Pledge Arena plays “Misery Business” by Paramore.
Steve O’Rourke, formerly head coach of the Oshawa Generals, was named the team’s first head coach on June 20, 2025. Hilary Knight was named the inaugural team captain on November 14, 2025. The Torrent played their first game on November 21, 2025, on the road against the expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes at Pacific Coliseum, losing 4–3 in overtime. Julia Gosling scored the franchise’s first two goals. Their first home game at Climate Pledge Arena drew 16,014 spectators—the largest U.S. crowd for a women’s hockey game—but the Minnesota Frost won 3–0. The Torrent earned their first win in their third game, a 2–1 home victory over the New York Sirens on December 3, 2025. On April 4, 2026, they faced the Sirens at Madison Square Garden in the first PWHL game at that venue, drawing a sold-out crowd of 18,006, a U.S. professional women’s hockey attendance record. The Torrent finished the season with an average attendance of 12,875, the highest in the league.
Quick Facts
- Team
- Seattle Torrent
- City
- Seattle, Washington
- League
- PWHL
- Founded
- 2025
- Arena
- Climate Pledge Arena
- Owner
- Mark Walter Group
- Gm
- Meghan Turner
- Coach
- Christine Bumstead
- Captain
- Vacant
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Seattle Torrent were announced as an expansion team on April 30, 2025, becoming the eighth franchise in the PWHL and part of the league's first round of expansion. The team's colors, initially revealed as emerald green and cream, were later expanded to include slate green, river blue, glacier blue, foam, haze grey, and basalt black, inspired by the Pacific Northwest landscape. The team temporarily operated as PWHL Seattle during the 2025 offseason until the Torrent name was unveiled on November 6, 2025.
The Torrent's first game was a 4–3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Pacific Coliseum on November 21, 2025, with Julia Gosling scoring the team's first two goals. Their inaugural home game at Climate Pledge Arena drew 16,014 spectators, the largest attendance for a women's hockey game in the United States at that time. The team earned its first win on December 3, 2025, a 2–1 home victory against the New York Sirens. On April 4, 2026, the Torrent played the Sirens in the inaugural PWHL game at Madison Square Garden, which sold out with 18,006 attendees, breaking the record for attendance at a U.S. professional women's hockey game.
Reader's Guide
The Seattle Torrent represent a significant step in the growth of the PWHL, being part of the league's first expansion. Their arrival in Seattle, a market with a strong hockey history including a 2022 Rivalry Series attendance record of 14,551, demonstrated the viability of women's professional hockey in the region. The team's home arena, Climate Pledge Arena, is shared with the NHL's Seattle Kraken and the WNBA's Seattle Storm, and the Kraken assist the Torrent in marketing and business operations. The Torrent set multiple attendance records: their inaugural home game drew 16,014, the largest U.S. women's hockey crowd at the time, and their game at Madison Square Garden drew 18,006, a new U.S. professional women's hockey record. The team finished the 2025–26 season with an average attendance of 12,875, ranking first in the league. The Torrent's rivalry with the Vancouver Goldeneyes, their nearest competitor, is expected to be a key storyline. The team's jerseys, released on October 21, 2025, featured the city name diagonally across the front without a team name or logo, and recorded the highest single-day sales of a jersey in PWHL history.
Did You Know?
- The Torrent played the first PWHL game at Madison Square Garden on April 4, 2026, which sold out with 18,006 attendees.
- After goals at home, Climate Pledge Arena plays 'Misery Business' by Paramore.
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