The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announces that it is adding its first outside investors: Kilmer Sports Ventures and the Ilitch Companies. The league says the two groups join as partners, with the announcement coming about a month after the PWHL completes its third season. The Athletic and Yahoo Sports both report that the PWHL has operated since its 2023 founding under a single-entity ownership model, in which Mark Walter—billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers and Sparks—and his wife, Kimbra, own the league.
Kilmer Sports Ventures is led by Larry Tanenbaum, who is also associated with bringing the WNBA to Toronto. The Ilitch Companies are described as the business group owned by the Detroit Red Wings’ ownership family. Global News similarly states that Kilmer Sports Ventures and the Ilitch Companies are investing in the PWHL, aligning with other coverage on the identities of the investors and their connection to major sports franchises.
The sources agree on the investors’ names and roles, and that the move follows the conclusion of the league’s third season.
