DETROIT (WWJ) -- A new professional sports franchise is coming to Detroit.
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) officially announced on Wednesday that Detroit will become the league's ninth franchise, beginning play in the 2026–27 season at Little Caesars Arena.
Launched in 2023, the PWHL has already played four neutral site games here at LCA that were very well attended.
Chris Ilitch CEO of Ilitch Companies, noted during Wednesday's announcement that Detroit hosted more PWHL games than any other neutral site city: four games across three seasons.
"We set a U.S. arena attendance record for women's hockey back in March of 2025, and just a month ago, nearly 16,000 fans packed this building for the takeover tour," Ilitch said. "The PWHL didn't have to guess whether Detroit was ready. Detroit made it obvious."
The new Detroit team’s primary colors will be black and silver, complemented by white as a secondary color and red as an accent.
The logo and name of Detroit's new franchise expected to be released soon.
"Detroit fits the bill in every imaginable way," said Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations. "When you look at the Takeover Tour over the course of our three seasons, we've averaged well over 13,000 fans a game, So we love the fanbase here. Our fans have told us they want a team here, and you have to listen to your fans in sports, and we did.
She added, "Our partnership with Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, they are just wonderful partners to work with on a daily basis. From Day 1, they have very much appreciated what the PWHL is and what we bring to the table and how we could work together to grow the sport of hockey. Little Caesars Arena is just a beautiful venue that we fit into perfectly."
In June, Detroit will host the 2026 PWHL awards ceremony (6/16), as well the 2026 PWHL Draft (6/17) at the Fox Theatre.
