It’s official. The city of Detroit is getting a Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team.
According to the official announcement from the PWHL, the new team will begin play for the 2026-27 season. Home games will be hosted by Little Caesars Arena. Additionally, Detroit will host the 2026 PWHL Awards Ceremony, and the 2026 PWHL Draft. The Draft will take place at Fox Theatre.
Here’s more from the official announcement:
“Bringing professional women’s hockey to Hockeytown is an undeniable next step for the PWHL and the storied hockey market. Detroit has welcomed the PWHL from the very beginning, starting with hosting the league’s first-ever neutral-site game at Little Caesars Arena during the league’s inaugural season in 2024, drawing 13,736 fans. Since then, local support has only grown, with Detroit hosting four PWHL games over three seasons — the most of any neutral-site city. 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.
As part of today’s team announcement, the league revealed PWHL Detroit’s primary colors — black and silver — complemented by white as a secondary color and red as an accent. The palette is distinct from any other team in the league, with the primary colors intended to evoke Detroit’s innovative and industrial spirit, matched with the resilient identity of Metro Detroiters. 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. The permanent brand identity, including the team’s name and logo, will be announced at a later date. Visit DetroitPWHL.com to learn more; PWHL Detroit merchandise is available now at thePWHL.com/shop for both U.S. and Canadian fans.”
This is a great day for women’s hockey and the city of Detroit. It was clear after recent PWHL events in the Motor City that there is a great interest in professional women’s hockey. We’ll have to wait and see what the broadcasting schedule will look like… Plus logistics and all that, since there will now be three professional teams at LCA. This is going to move quick! There is a lot to get done before the PWHL season starts in the fall… Including the team mascot.
Petition for the Detroit Vipers anyone? 😉
