The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is expanding to Detroit for the 2026-2027 season, with all home games to be played at Little Caesars Arena.
PWHL Detroit will join the original six teams, Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, and New York Sirens, along with the two 2025-2026 expansion teams, Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent.
Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice-president, business operations, said, “Detroit has been part of PWHL history since the beginning; from the support shown at our first-ever neutral site game at Little Caesars Arena, the city and fans have helped lead the way for the future of pro women’s hockey.”
The city has hosted four PWHL Takeover Tour games over three seasons, the most of any “neutral-site city,” the PWHL said.
“Among those games were crowds of 14,288 fans, setting a then-U.S. arena attendance record for women’s hockey on March 16, 2025, and a Little Caesars Arena women’s hockey attendance high of 15,938 at the city’s last Takeover Tour game on March 28, 2026, cementing Detroit fans’ demand for a PWHL team to call their own,” noted a PWHL news release Wednesday (May 6).
The league also annouced Wednesday that the team colours will be black and silver, complemented by white as a secondary colour and a red accent. The team name and logo will be annouced at a later date.
“The palette is distinct from any other team in the league, with the primary colours intended to evoke Detroit’s innovative and industrial spirit, matched with the resilient identity of Metro Detroiters,” said the PWHL. “Meanwhile, the red accent is a nod to the city’s celebrated sports history, in particular, the Red Wings’ and Hockeytown’s hockey stewardship in the United States for more than 100 years.”
Detroit will also host the 2026 PWHL Awards on June 16 and the 2026 PWHL Draft on June 17. Team jerseys will have the Ally Financial patch on them, as they are the inaugural partner.
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said the city was excited to welcome a professional women’s hockey team to the city.
“Detroit is home to incredibly passionate hockey fans who already have shown their enthusiasm and support for the PWHL here at Little Caesars Arena,” she said.
“I am deeply appreciative to the PWHL, Chris Ilitch, and Ally for making today possible. I have no doubt that Detroit will prove to be a premier PWHL market. We can’t wait for Detroit to host the PWHL Awards Ceremony and Draft here in June as we prepare for the start of the team’s exciting inaugural season.”
The league currently has 13 players from Michigan, the second-most from any stated behind Minnestota’s 29, including: New York forwards Taylor Girard (Macomb) and Elle Hartje (Detroit), and rookie goaltenders Kaley Doyle (Livonia) and Callie Shanahan (Commerce Township); Boston captain Megan Keller (Farmington), defender Riley Brengman (China Township), and goaltender Amanda Thiele (Milford); Montréal forwards Abby Roque (Sault Ste. Marie) and Shiann Darkangelo (Brighton); Toronto forwards Emma Gentry (Alpena) and Clara Van Wieren (Okemos); and Vancouver defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins (Plymouth) and forward Anna Segedi (Commerce Township).
The bid to have a team in the city was led by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, the business arm of the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, and the operators of Little Caesars Arena.
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