TORONTO - The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that its Toronto franchise will play home games at Mattamy Athletic Centre, with the team's historic home opener scheduled for Monday, January 1, 2024 at 12:30 p.m. ET against New York. The league announced home openers for all six of its teams on Tuesday, with the inaugural season scheduled to begin on New Year's Day.

"It is almost poetic that we are set to write the first chapter of our franchise's history in one of the most historic buildings in Toronto," said Gina Kingsbury, PWHL Toronto General Manager. "It is an honour that we will call Mattamy Athletic Centre home and be under the same roof that housed the legendary Maple Leafs organization for so many years. We can't wait to write our story and represent this world class city with great pride."

The PWHL officially launched in August with the introduction of six original teams and the foundation to assemble rosters featuring the best women's hockey players in the world. Among the stars suiting up for Toronto are Canadian Olympians Renata Fast, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, and the team's second overall draft pick Jocelyne Larocque.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the Toronto Professional Women's Hockey League franchise to the TMU campus as they make the Mattamy Athletic Centre their home ice for the inaugural season of this highly anticipated league," said Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice-Chancellor, Toronto Metropolitan University. "This partnership is important to the university and aligns well with our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive campus culture for all. It is essential that we show our continued support for the amplification of women's sports, and we hope that this wonderful community partnership will inspire others to join in, participate and cheer on not just the Toronto PWHL team, but our TMU Bold teams as well."

The Mattamy Athletic Centre is located in the upper level of the transformed Maple Leaf Gardens and has served as TMU's athletic facility since 2012 with a capacity of 2,600 for hockey. The building is where the Toronto Maple Leafs won their 11 Stanley Cups and still features the exterior walls, original roof, and rafters of the historic monument.

Fans who placed ticket deposits will receive a link for priority access to purchase PWHL season ticket plans. Early access to ticket information will also be sent directly to PWHL e-newsletter subscribers who are registered for updates at this link.

Toronto will also take part in New York's home opener on Friday, Jan. 5, at 7:00 p.m. ET at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A full season schedule will be announced in the coming days.

Follow the new league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.