PWHL's Detroit Clutch Unveil Team Name, Logo, and Branding

After months of anticipation, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced the official names of their four expansion teams. PWHL Detroit shed their interim name to become the Detroit Clutch. The name is an homage to Detroit’s innovative and illustrious automotive history, having seen the rise of the “Big Three” automakers; General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. It’s also a nod to some of the city’s biggest moments in sports that were created under extreme pressure, such as Darren McCarty’s breakaway goal that delivered the 1997 Stanley Cup to the Detroit Red Wings. 

From music to sports to the automotive industry, the Clutch’s logo pays respect to every aspect of Detroit. The wheel and automotive clutch are the inspiration for the logo’s circular shape and is described as “an enduring symbol of Detroit’s Motor City identity and a city built to keep moving forward.”  Motown’s history is represented with three vinyl-inspired lines that look like the grooves of a record.The Clutch’s typography and design elements are  a wink and a nod to Detroit’s Art Deco architectural heritage. Representing each Detroit Clutch player with 24 notches within the gear might be the nicest and most personal touch of the logo. 

“I was blown away. The double meaning of the logo and brand is cool and going to be perfect for our team,” said Daryl Watts, Detroit Clutch forward. “I already love the jersey; the metallic silver pops off and catches your eye. Overall, the brand represents the area really well and speaks to Motor City. I hope fans really like it.”

The Clutch’s primary color palette plays on the car theme with motor black, clutch chrome, hot white, and racing red signifying “the performance precision and resilient grit of Detroit.” 

Narrated by forward Hilary Knight, the Clutch's name unveiling video perfectly describes the strength and resolve of those who live in Detroit and the surrounding area. “The pressure that builds us becomes the force that drives us forward,” Knight says in the video. “Relentless in pursuit. Unshaken when the stakes rise. Always ready for what comes next.”

What comes next? A historical  inaugural season where “vision meets precision, traction meets torque, and metal meets ice.”