The PWHL is filled with women's hockey players from Michigan. Four of those players – Anna Segedi, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, Megan Keller, and Riley Brengman – will play in Detroit at the upcoming PWHL Takeover Tour stop between the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Boston Fleet.
Detroit is set to host the city's third PWHL game after setting back-to-back American attendance records in the 2024 and 2024-25 season. This year, Detroit will host a pair of games at Little Caesars arena as one of five markets the league will play a pair of PWHL Takeover Tour games in this year as the PWHL examines more markets for possible expansion.
When the PWHL drops the puck for their first of two games in Detroit, this time between the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Boston Fleet, the game will also bring several Michigan products home. Among those players are Boston Fleet defender Megan Keller and Vancouver Goldeneyes blueliner Mellissa Channell-Watkins, who were both part of past stops in Detroit, and are excited to return again this season.
"When you go out for warm-ups and you see all the girls wearing jerseys that you wore growing up, and now they're able to kind of dream about being in your shoes instead of going to a Red Wings game, and hoping that they had something to play, and now they really do, so it's just really fun," said Channell-Watkins of bringing the game back to Detroit.
Channell-Watkins grew up playing for the Michigan Capitals and Little Caesars, as well as skating at Joe Louis Arena whenever the Nashville Predators, who her father worked for, were in town. Last year when Channell-Watkins played in Detroit with the Minnesota Frost, the game drew 14,288 fans and also welcomed the league's one-millionth fan all-time.
"Detroit always brings a great crowd," said Channell-Watkins. "I know last year we celebrated not only the attendance record in the States, but then we also had our one-millionth fan walk through the door that game, so that was also really cool... I'm really excited to come back."
It's a sentiment Boston Fleet captain and USA national team stalwart Megan Keller echoed. Keller played for Honeybaked in Michigan before going to the NCAA.
Just really excited to get back home and play in front of family and friends once again," said Keller. "I know in year one, we got the opportunity to do it as well, and the crowd was amazing, seeing so many young girls in the stands and families, and they were very loud, all night."
While the veterans have already experienced the excitement of bring the PWHL to thier home state, for rookies Anna Segedi and Riley Brengman, it will be a first. Segedi played for Honeybaked and Belle Tire prior to her NCAA career at St. Lawrence University. Drafted by the Minnesota Frost, Segedi wasn't originally slated to play in Detroit this season until a preseason trade sent her to the Vancouver Goldeneyes.
"Being in Vancouver has been a really great experience. I know, obviously at first...it was a little overwhelming, but once I heard about being able to go to Detroit and playing in that Takeover Tour game, I was instantly so excited, and my whole family was already looking at trying to get tickets."
Segedi said she'll have more than 80 family and friends in attendance at the game.
Brengman, a defender for the Boston Fleet, played with Little Caesars and Belle Tire in Michigan before moving to neighboring Ohio State for her college career.
"Going to school in Ohio, I haven't played back home since my youth career, so super excited to be able to play in front of a lot of family and friends," said Brengman, who herself has more than 60 fans coming to support her.
"It's tremendous to see how much the game has grown, and just to be able to see those little girls in the stands to be able to cheer us on and dream to be us one day, so it's just super exciting to be back home and to be able to play in front of friends and family."
The PWHL will return to Detroit March 28 when the Montreal Victoire face-off against the New York Sirens.