Detroit Is Getting a PWHL Team and the League Is Just Getting Started

Women's professional hockey is officially coming to Detroit. The PWHL announced Wednesday that the Motor City will become its first expansion market, and this is just the beginning of a massive growth spurt for the league.

The move makes perfect sense when you look at the numbers. Detroit hosted four neutral-site PWHL games at Little Caesar's Arena during the league's inaugural season in 2024 and the past two years, and those games packed the building. Combined attendance hit 53,626 across those four games, including 15,938 fans in March for the PWHL's first game broadcast to a U.S. national TV audience. People showed up. People cared. The city proved it was ready.

Why Detroit Was the Obvious Choice

This expansion pick isn't random. The PWHL has deep ties to Detroit through the Ilitch family, which owns the Red Wings. That relationship matters. Little Caesar's Arena, the Red Wings' home, will serve as the new team's venue. According to Amy Scheer, the PWHL's executive vice president of business operations, "From the get-go, we have really felt the passion that this city and state have for hockey and the PWHL. I think it's the perfect place for us to grow."

Those four neutral-site games Detroit hosted? They actually sparked the league's entire "Takeover Tour" strategy over the past two years. The passion was real enough to inspire a new business model.

Four More Teams Coming This Spring

Here's where it gets wild: Detroit is just the first. The PWHL previously announced plans to expand by between two and four markets, and the expectation is that four more teams will be announced in the coming weeks. The league is going from six teams to potentially nine or ten before next season even starts.

Denver is considered a front-runner. A Takeover Tour game there in January 2025 drew 14,018 fans who literally chanted "We want a team!" Las Vegas is also in the mix, with the NHL's Golden Knights actively lobbying for a franchise. And then there's Hamilton, Ontario, which would give the PWHL three Canadian markets.

As a cherry on top, Detroit will also host the PWHL's draft and awards ceremony in mid-June. The draft on June 17 will showcase a loaded prospect class loaded with U.S. talent, including gold medal-winning Olympians Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards, the first Black female player to represent Team USA.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.