As impressive as the PWHL's growth has been less than two years since its launch, with the league blowing past initial attendance and revenue projections, and already into its first phase of expansion, Stan Kasten says you've seen nothing yet.
The league's advisory board member laid out an ambitious vision of the PWHL's future during a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.
Kasten foresees further expansion - beyond the recent additions of Vancouver and Seattle to grow the PWHL to eight teams - within the next few years the league capitalizing on the 2026 Milan Winter Games to broaden its reach internationally and the prospect of turning a profit by 2031, when the league's current CBA with its players expires.
"By every measure, we're ahead of where we thought we would be. And we never thought we were going to be this niche six-team league in the northeast of North America," Kasten said.
"Our manifest destiny is a lot more than six. It's a lot more than eight. I don't know how many," he added. "My point is, we're going to be a league like every other real major league, and that's our goal. ... We're going to be spread - our footprint will be across this continent and hopefully others as well."