Detroit has set back-to-back American professional women's hockey attendance records. The market feels like they've "proven" Detroit is a women's sports destination, and will deepen that with a pair of PWHL games in Hockeytown this season.
Detroit set an American professional women's hockey attendance record in 2024. They broke that record in 2025. Both were set during visits by the PWHL.
This year, as the PWHL continues to plan for rapid expansion, the league will visit Little Caesars Arena in Detroit not once, but twice. The league will make their first stop in Detroit on January 3 featuring a game between the Boston Fleet, who have visited Detroit before, and the expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes. The next stop in the Motor City will be March 28, bringing another team familiar with Detroit, the New York Sirens, back to town against the Montreal Victoire.
Although Detroit was not included in the PWHL's first round of expansion, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, who also own the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, MLB's Detroit Tigers, and other assets, believe the city has proven itself as a destination for women's sports.
“Detroit has proven it’s a destination for world-class women’s sports," said Ryan Gustafson, President and CEO of Ilitch Sports + Entertainment.
"The excitement fans showed for the first two record-breaking PWHL games at Little Caesars Arena was remarkable, and we’re proud to welcome the league back as interest in women’s hockey continues to soar. Hosting the PWHL again reflects our commitment to creating more opportunities for fans to experience elite competition and keep growing the game here in Hockeytown.”
Detroit's record attendance of 14,288 will be challenged this year by Takeover stops in Denver, where Detroit's 2024 record was briefly eclipsed last season, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington. The record could also be broken on Friday, November 28 at the home opener for the new Seattle Torrent when they host the back-to-back reigning Walter Cup champions, the Minnesota Frost.
The league and NCAA hockey are continuing to welcome more Michigan products. This season the PWHL will welcome Megan Keller (Boston), Abby Roque (Montreal), Taylor Girard (New York), Elle Hartje (New York), Emma Gentry (Toronto), Callie Shanahan (New York), Clara Van Wieren (Toronto), Anna Segedi (Minnesota) and Shiann Darkangelo (Montreal), while that list could grow through training camps. It will certainly grow in the coming seasons as high end prospects including Kirsten Simms (Wisconsin), Elyssa Biederman (Colgate), and Casey Borgiel (Wisconsin) will declare for the 2026 PWHL Draft, and others like Cassie Hall (Wisconsin), Kaia Malachino (Ohio State) and Annelies Bergmann (Cornell) are close behind.