Detroit was officially named the ninth city to have a Professional Women's Hockey League club, starting in the 2026-27 season with games to be played at Little Caesars Arena.
Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings, made history by setting the record for the largest attendance at a professional women’s hockey game, drawing 13,736 fans for a matchup between the PWHL’s Boston Fleet and the Ottawa Charge.
Following the success of the PWHL’s four visits to Detroit, during which nearly 54,000 total fans attended, it seemed only a matter of time before the league expanded to the Motor City.
That day has now arrived.
On Wednesday morning, during a special press conference at Little Caesars Arena, the PWHL officially announced that Detroit will become the ninth city with a PWHL club, and play is set to begin in the 2026-27 season.
Detroit joins Boston, Minnesota, New York, Ottawa, Montreal, Seattle, Vancouver, and Toronto as cities with PHWL clubs.
The announcement was made with hundreds in attendance in the venue's concourse, including dozens of young female hockey players from across the state, many of whom play for Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club.
Home games will be played at Little Caesars Arena, and the upcoming 2026 PWHL Awards, as well as the PWHL Draft, will be held four blocks away at the historic Fox Theater on Woodward Avenue across from Comerica Park.
Additionally, the BELFOR Training Center will be utilized for practices.
While there is no official name for the new expansion team, it's been common practice thus far in the PWHL to decide on one at a later date.
PWHL Executives Amy Scheer and Jayna Hefford were on hand to deliver remarks, along with Detroit mayor Mary Sheffield, as well as Chris Ilitch, the President and CEO of Ilitch Holdings.
"This is something Detroit is achieving that has been building for a very, very long time," Ilitch said. "Detroit has been a part of the PWHL story since day one."
He continued by acknowleding the lasting impact of his mother, Marian Ilitch, crediting her vision and leadership for expanding access to hockey.
“The vision and dedication of my mother, Marian Ilitch, helped create opportunity at the grassroots level,” he said. “Through Little Caesars Hockey, she supported a program that made the sport more accessible and built a true development pipeline, one that has introduced thousands of kids to hockey and continues to grow the game today.
“She’s also a true pioneer in the sport," he continued. "She’s one of the few women whose name is engraved on the Stanley Cup, and her leadership has been recognized across the League, including being named the NHL’s most influential women team owners. And she continues to be passionate about the sport, and has attended the PWHL Takeover Tour games here at Little Caesars Arena.”
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
"Detroit, you had us at game one," Scheer said. "You showed us what is possible. You're literally the mother of the Takeover Tour; that day, we gave birth to the Takeover Tour, 30 games later, because of you."
The PWHL Takeover Tour was a series of neutral-site games allowing fans in cities without a team to experience live women's hockey, starting with Detroit in March 2024 followed by three subsequent games.
Hefford, who is also an Olympic gold medalist and a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, touted the importance Michigan has played in developing women's youth hockey across the state, leading to the inevitability of a professional team.
"Today is about the future, and it's also about recognizing the history that got us here," Hefford said. "Detroit and the greater state of Michigan have been an important part of women's hockey for a long time. This is a state that has consistently developed talent and helped push women's hockey forward, often without the spotlight it deserved. In fact, Michigan was always destined to have its own professional hockey team."
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.