The Professional Women's Hockey League is expanding to Detroit, adding a ninth market set to begin play in the 2026–27 season at Little Caesars Arena. The announcement marks a significant milestone for the league, which continues to grow its footprint across North America.
Detroit's Winning Bid
Detroit's bid, led by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, comes after the city hosted four Takeover Tour games since the inception of the PWHL, with the most recent drawing 15,938 fans. Like the current teams, the new Detroit squad will be wholly owned by TWG as part of the league's single-entity ownership structure.
“We’re continuing to see the perseverance of these fans. It started out with signs that said, ‘We want a team,’ and it ended with signs that said, ‘We deserve a team,’” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations. “To be able to come now, to be honest we probably could have come in the first round of expansion, but I’m really excited to be able to place a team here because the fans have continued to show up and continued to prove why this’ll be a great market for the PWHL.”
Team Identity and Facilities
The new team’s colours will be a nod to Detroit's rich hockey history; their primary colours are black and silver to commemorate the city’s industrial backbone while white will be used as a secondary colour and red as an accent, a hat tip to the Detroit Red Wings. The name and logo will be announced at a later date.
The team will practice at BELFOR Training Center, within the arena complex. The city will also host the 2026 PWHL Awards on June 16 and the 2026 PWHL Draft on June 17.
Expansion Criteria
Hefford said Detroit was selected using the same criteria the league applied in choosing its previous expansion markets, Vancouver and Seattle. “The facility is best of class, the opportunity that we have to put a really great experience in place for our players. Youth hockey in this area is so strong for both girls and boys. I think we can be a real catalyst for growth on that as well. For the league to add another Midwest city helps us geographically to close the gap that currently sits in our league,” she said.
Takeover Tour ticket sales, local media coverage and social media buzz also factor into the league’s expansion decisions.
Player Perspectives
“Being from Michigan, it’s obviously pretty special for me to see women’s hockey growing in the state,” said Elle Hartje, who plays for the New York Sirens. “The only taste of women’s hockey I ever got was the Olympics every four years. Detroit is such a hockey city but it didn’t feel like girls as a whole had a place in that. When I’m home for the summer it’s all the talk — my friends, my parents’ friends, everyone’s asking when we’re going to get a team. Because it’s not just a one-game turn out. The people in Detroit really want a team,” she said.
Future Expansion Plans
The league plans to add up to three more teams but has not confirmed a final number or said whether all will join next season or be split over two years. “We look at the pipeline of talent and it’s incredibly deep. We are seeing more Europeans declare for the draft than we ever have. Outside of North America there’s still an untapped level of talent that hasn’t yet got to the PWHL that certainly can… The talent pipeline is there. From a hockey perspective, I’m really excited about the pipeline of talent that’s coming up to fill these teams,” Hefford said.
Roster Building Challenges
Expansion roster building remains a complex process. The league is looking to tweak elements based on conversations with the PWHLPA, aiming to preserve parity while allowing players more agency. Last year’s expansion draft left general managers with tough decisions, as seen when Boston Fleet GM Danielle Marmer left captain Hilary Knight off her protected list, leading Knight to sign with Seattle.
“It felt like a Sophie’s Choice,” Marmer said. “I was really trying to balance the right now with the future needs of the team.” The league’s rapid expansion and shifting processes have made roster decisions more difficult. “The challenge is, you can’t prepare for the future in this ever-changing expansion world,” she said.
Growing Pains
The growing pains showed up in this year’s standings. Seattle came in last with 31 points and Vancouver also missed the playoffs with 37 points. Marmer noted that expansion teams face hurdles beyond player selection, such as logistical challenges in new markets. “We were talking about our power play in August. They were trying to figure out where they’re going to have their power play meeting. They were so far behind when it comes to the actual execution of things, because they’re just trying to figure out how to plan for it, where to go. The amount of work it takes to get that off the ground, I think it just starts them so far back,” she said.
Looking Ahead
The PWHL has not confirmed the next cities slated for expansion teams. Takeover Tour stops in Quebec City, Chicago, Calgary and Denver have fueled speculation, especially as Calgary and Denver both have ongoing arena projects. Hamilton’s recent upgrades to TD Coliseum also make that an attractive option, with their Takeover Tour stop drawing over 16,000 fans.
In the meantime, Detroit is already positioning itself as a destination for fans across the border. “We welcome all Canadian fans to Detroit to attend the draft this June,” said Hefford.
