Luca Sbisa Could Be The Perfect Stop Gap

The PWHL is officially expanding to Las Vegas. Beyond the obvious excitement, of course, there are many questions to be answered about Sin City’s newest team. Luckily, we’re here to answer them all. 

*If you have a question that is unanswered in this FAQ, feel free to post it in the comments and we will find the answer and add it to this article.*

What is the PWHL?

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is the premier top-level female hockey organization in North America. Last season was played with eight teams (Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver) and expansion, including Las Vegas, Hamilton, and Detroit have been announced. The league is currently finishing its third season.

Where will the Las Vegas team play and practice?

The Las Vegas team will play games at T-Mobile Arena, the home of the Golden Knights and UFC. They will practice at America First Center on Water St. in Henderson.

What is the team’s name and colors?

The PWHL unveiled the team colors as green and gold, “inspired by the natural tones of Southern Nevada.” The team has not been named at this time. The last two expansion teams (Seattle and Vancouver) were announced in April and had their name and jerseys released in early November.

What does the schedule look like?

The PWHL played a 30-game regular season in 2025-26 from November until April, culminating in the Walter Cup Playoffs in May. A full schedule for 2026-27 is expected to be released around September.

How much are tickets and can I buy them now?

PWHL Las Vegas is currently accepting deposits for season tickets for $50 per seat. Full season ticket prices have not yet been announced. Other American cities have seen prices range from around $16-$70 per game. Click this link to place a deposit.

How will the team get its players?

This Expansion Roster Building Process (as they called it last year) for the newest franchises has not yet been finalized. The league added two expansion teams last season, Seattle and Vancouver. Each of the six existing teams were allowed to protect three players (and a fourth if they lost two) from their rosters. Then, the expansion teams could sign up to five players who would agree to come to the new team. Finally, the teams participated in an Expansion Draft to add seven more players, bringing their rosters to 12. The rest of the 23-woman roster is filled via free agency and the Entry Draft. The process for Las Vegas, Detroit, and Hamilton is expected to be similar.

Even though there isn’t a name yet, can I buy gear?

You sure can. PWHL Las Vegas has a collection of shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and pucks available now on the PWHL Shop.

What is the PWHL’s equivalent to the Stanley Cup?

The championship trophy in the PWHL is the Walter Cup, named after the co-founders of the league Mark and Kimbra Walter. It has been awarded twice to this point, both times to the Minnesota Frost. The current Walter Cup Final will begin today, May 14th, between the Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire.

Does Bill Foley own the team?

He does not. While the Vegas Golden Knights are considered partners, the league operates under a single-ownership model. All teams are fully owned by Mark and Kimbra Walter, who also co-own the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers. The league currently does not have plans to sell individual franchises to local owners.

Who televises the games?

In the United States, each team’s games are broadcast on a regional sports network, similar to the NHL. Scripps Sports, the home of the Golden Knights, will likely become the home for PWHL Las Vegas.

Are there any significant differences in the rules between the PWHL and the NHL?

There actually are quite a few, including the most noteworthy, the 3-2-1-0 point system. In the PWHL a regulation win is worth three points, an overtime or shootout win is worth two, an overtime or shootout loss is worth one, and a regulation loss is worth zero.

Also, there are two significant rules that differ from the NHL. First, the “jailbreak” rule. If a team scores a shorthanded goal, the penalty ends, allowing the offending player to “break out” of the box. Second is the “no escape rule.” Similar to icing in the NHL, when a team commits a penalty, the players currently on the ice must remain on the ice for the ensuing faceoff. 

Oh, and one more thing. The league has two unique systems in place for the playoffs and the draft. For the playoffs, the team with the most points in the standings is allowed to select its opponent in the first round (which was the semi-final this season) from other qualified teams. The other is the “gold plan” for selecting the team to pick first overall in the Entry Draft. Once a team is mathematically eliminated, they begin earning standings points towards the race for the first pick. The team with the most, not the least, points in the “gold plan” selects first.

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Luckily, it’s only a quarter of the regular season that top defenseman Nate Schmidt will miss action. But, while that story continues to unfold, Vegas’ other top defender Shea Theodore also remains unsigned and the possibility of a holdout is real.

With one defenseman guaranteed to miss a large chunk of time and another sitting in contract purgatory, what are George McPhee’s options? He can ride it out with organizational depth like the team did last season when Marc-Andre Fleury was injured. The GM could make a move for a defenseman, and not necessarily Erik Karlsson. Maybe, McPhee will wait it out and hope a desirable defenseman will pop up through waivers. Or, he can reach out to an available old chum.

It’s hard for the other team to match lines. A lot of teams only have one superstar line and then it kinda goes down a bit, but for us, on any given day we have lines that can step up and chip in any which way. -Luca Sbisa

In 30 regular season games, Luca Sbisa averaged 19:31 TOI, and averaged 2:22 shorthanded minutes per game. Many of those games he was paired with Schmidt and drawing the opposing teams best players. Although Sbisa was injured for much of the 2017-18 regular season, he added defensive impact when he hit the ice. Some credit the Swiss defenseman for helping Schmidt convert to Vegas’ top d-man. Also, the veteran Sbisa was a strong, protective teammate that held a presence on the ice.

With Schmidt’s guaranteed 20 game absence, signing Sbisa could be a move Jack Adams winner Gerard Gallant would appreciate. The 28-year-old UFA was heavily used early on in 2017-18, and after returning from injury, the coach used him in the lineup, including the Stanley Cup Final. At this time, Gallant could use a familiar veteran like Sbisa to help right the defensive ship. The former Golden Knight knows the organization, system, players, and city. Most importantly the coaching staff is comfortable playing Sbisa.

Depending on Sbisa’s demands, the Golden Knights should be able to re-sign the left-handed defenseman to a deal comparable to what Jon Merrill and Deryk Engelland make per season. This late in the game they might even be able to get him on a one-year deal.

It could be well worth the low money risk for a recognizable insurance policy like Sbisa. Not only will he fill the burden of Schmidt’s suspension, Sbisa would also secure a roster spot in preparation for Theodore’s possible holdout. He’s not a replacement for either but Sbisa could effectively fill important minutes for twenty or more games.