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The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced Wednesday that Detroit will get a team that will begin play this fall at Little Caesars Arena. It is being branded as PWHL Detroit.
“Bringing professional women’s hockey to Hockeytown is an undeniable next step for the PWHL and the storied hockey market,” the league said in a press release. “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.”
Detroit will host the 2026 PWHL Draft at the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, June 17.
Detroit is the league’s ninth franchise. The original six include Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New York, and Minnesota.
Ilitch Sports and Entertainment is a partner, but not an owner. It will host the games at Little Caesars Arena.
The league has a single owner — Mark Walter, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his wife, Kimbra. They own the league and the nine teams.
The league’s season typically runs from November through May.
