The PWHL has unveiled the names and logos for the four expansion markets set to begin play for the 2026-27 season. The league introduced the Detroit Clutch, Hamilton Havoc, Vegas Vanguards, and San Jose Sea Lions.

While teams will have their logos in place, the four PWHL expansion markets will play with their generic market jerseys in their inaugural season featuring the market name diagonal across their front of their uniform. New jerseys with logos will be designed for and unveiled ahead of the 2027-28 season for Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose.

“Our fans have been eagerly waiting for this moment, and we’re excited to officially introduce these new team identities as we mark another major milestone for the PWHL,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President, Business Operations. “We approached this process with great care, creating team names and logos that reflect the character and pride of each community, while staying connected to the PWHL. As we’ve seen with our first eight teams, these brands will take on even greater meaning as they are embraced and shaped by our fans and players, ultimately becoming a source of pride and a rallying cry for the communities they represent.”

According to the PWHL, Detroit, who features chrome, red, black, and white on their jerseys, will tie the city's automotive history and Art Deco designs to their name and logo, formally announced as the Detroit Clutch.

As the PWHL stated, the Detroit Clutch "brings together Detroit’s rich legacy of automotive innovation and the defining moments in sports when teams deliver under pressure."

The logo, a gear with Art Deco-inspired typography, includes "rhythmic vinyl lines sit within the wheel, a nod to Motown’s enduring influence." 

The Hamilton Havoc tie together the city's official bird, the peregrine falcon, recreated in steel to represent the industrial roots in the city. 

According to the PWHL, "Havoc is inspired by the unique balance between the forces of industry and nature in Hamilton, as steel mills rise alongside the natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment."

The logo utilizes Hamilton's rust, gold, ivory, and orange to showcase the steel-forged industry of the region. The name Havoc was originally trademarked by the city's AHL franchise, but after they chose to go with Hamilton Hammers, the name became available to the PWHL.

In San Jose, the San Jose Sea Lions name comes from the region's obvious Pacific Ocean and California's Bay Area connections. 

As the PWHL stated, San Jose's "Sea Lions are proud guardians of the rugged Bay Area coastline, deeply connected to Pacific waters and the communities that define the region."

The league also tied the name selection to the San Francisco Sea Lions, a historic member of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association, who in 1946 featured Toni Stone, the first woman to play regularly in a major men's professional baseball league.

San Jose's blue, orange, and sea mist colors are reflected in the emblem, with ties also made to Sea Lions' intelligence, agility, and "fierce protection of their colonies." 

In Las Vegas, the league chose to simply go with "Vegas," connecting the team to their NHL counterparts. The Vegas Vanguards name "celebrates those who lead the way, embracing challenges and creating new opportunities."

In a connection to the surrounding Mojave Desert, the Vegas Vanguards uniform will feature a kit fox, with Las Vegas's star silhouetted by a 'V'. 

The color scheme is another connction to the cactus green of the desert, ivory, gold, and navy.

Vanguards, which are leaders of a movement, provided the foundation for the name and design, "inspired by the pioneering spirit that helped shape the West."