Detroit lands PWHL franchise with further expansion ‘still on track’

The Professional Women’s Hockey League began revealing its expansion plans for next season with the announcement of Detroit as its newest team.

PWHL leadership has said the eight-team league will increase by two to four clubs for the 2026-27 season, but only Detroit was announced Wednesday as a new market.

“Detroit is hockeytown,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice-president of hockey operations. “It’s got a rich hockey history.”

The league’s original six teams were Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Minnesota, Boston and New York.

Seattle and Vancouver joined last year for the league’s third season.

“Geographically, having another Midwest city is helpful as we continue to build out this league,” Hefford said.

Detroit’s team will play out of Little Caesars Arena, which is operated by the Ilitch family that owns the NHL’s Red Wings.

The PWHL has held neutral-site Takeover Tour games to build audience and test possible expansion markets.

After a league-high four games at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit was a prime target for expansion. The PWHL drew 15,938 to a game there March 28.

“Starting at the top with the Ilitch group, they’ve been incredible from Day 1, from the first time we’ve played here,” Hefford said.

“No matter where we go, you want to have good partners that you can work with. The fact that they control the building is great, and it’s even more helpful, but having the right partners is important.

“The fans have continued to show up. It started out with the signs that said ‘we want a team’ and then it went to ‘we’ve earned a team’ and ‘we deserve a team,’ and I think they’re right.”

Detroit’s name and logo will be announced at a later date. The jersey’s primary colours will be black and silver, with white as a secondary hue and red as an accent.

The PWHL spread out its expansion announcements last year. The league revealed the addition of the Vancouver Goldeneyes on April 23 and the Seattle Torrent on April 30.

So Detroit’s addition fuels anticipation of more expansion announcements that could involve Canada.

“We’ve said all along it could be anywhere from two to four. Still on track for that,” Hefford said. “We’ll let you know when we’re ready.”

Hefford said Detroit, across the river from Windsor, Ont., can also draw Canadian fans into its PWHL market.

“I hope Canadians who are close to this region, this may be their team,” she said.

The PWHL operates under the single-entity ownership of TWG Global, whose founder, Mark Walter, financially backed the league’s creation and for whom the league’s championship trophy is named.

Walter also has ownership stakes in MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

PWHL attendance across 120 regular-season games in 2025-26, including 16 Takeover Tour games, averaged 9,304.

Half of this season’s Takeover Tour games were played in Canada, including a pair of games in both Edmonton and Halifax. Calgary, Quebec City, Hamilton and Winnipeg also hosted games.

Three neutral-site games in Edmonton over the past two seasons were the most in a Canadian market. Announced attendance at each of the two Rogers Place games this season was just under 11,000.

Two games at the smaller Scotiabank Centre in Halifax were declared sellouts at just under 10,500 each.

Quebec City’s game was attended by 14,624 at Centre Vidéotron. Hamilton drew 16,012 to TD Coliseum.

Winnipeg’s was a sold-out 15,225 at Canada Life Centre. Calgary drew 16,150 to Scotiabank Saddledome on April 1.

Since private or NHL team ownership of a PWHL team isn’t yet an option, the PWHL’s relationship with whoever controls the arena is a key piece of the expansion puzzle.

“Venue availability is a challenge all the time. Across North America, the big buildings are just busy,” Hefford said. “There’s a lot going on across multiple leagues and concerts and different things.

“Part of us checking a box in expansion requires that we can get the availability that we think we need to be able to operate. We feel really good about where we’re at here in Detroit with the venue. That has to be there in order for us to feel confident in expansion.”

The Ottawa Charge have hit a hurdle with TD Place, that’s been the club’s home rink for three seasons.

The city’s plan to reduce the arena’s capacity by about 3,000 seats to fewer than 6,000 as part of the Lansdowne Park redevelopment isn’t economically feasible for the Charge, according to PWHL executive vice-president of business operations Amy Scheer.

The Charge will play the home end of its playoff series with Boston at the Canadian Tire Centre, which is the home of the NHL’s Senators, starting Friday.

“Excited to be able to have a playoff game at CTC, but still figuring out what that means for next season and the plans for the team next year,” Hefford said.

Detroit will also host the PWHL awards ceremony June 16 and the entry draft June 17. The Vancouver Goldeneyes hold the first overall pick.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press