US-based NWHL OKs plan to expand to Canada after CWHL folds

The National Women’s Hockey League’s board has approved an investment plan to expand into Toronto and Montreal next season.

NWHL spokesman Chris Botta also told The Associated Press on Tuesday the league has received a commitment from the NHL that will make it one of the NWHL’s biggest financial sponsors.

The board decision comes two days after the Canadian National Women’s Hockey League’s ceased operations.

Botta says the NWHL is moving quickly to establish teams in Canada’s two largest cities. Toronto and Montreal would become the NWHL’s first Canadian-based teams and expand the league’s franchises to seven.

The CWHL announced Sunday it was shuttering due to financial issues. The CWHL was a six-team league that included teams in Toronto, Montreal, Boston and China.