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PWHL Detroit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PWHL Detroit
CityDetroit, Michigan
LeaguePWHL
ConferenceWestern
Founded2026
Home arenaLittle Caesars Arena
ColoursBlack, silver, white and red
       
OwnerMark Walter Group
General managerManon Rhéaume
Head coachJosh Sciba
Asst. coaches
CaptainTBA
Websitewww.thepwhl.com/en/teams/detroit
Championships
Regular season titles0
Walter Cups0

PWHL Detroit is an upcoming professional ice hockey team based in Detroit that will compete in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are the league's third announced expansion franchise, part of the league's second round of expansions alongside Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose for the 2026–27 season. The team will play home games at Little Caesars Arena.

History

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Founding

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Detroit mayor Mary Sheffield, Christopher Ilitch, and PWHL executives at the team's launch event in May 2026

Detroit had been rumored to be getting a potential expansion team ever since it hosted the PWHL's very first neutral site game during their inaugural 2024 season, drawing 13,736 fans.[1][2] In the subsequent two seasons, Detroit became the most frequent host city on the PWHL Takeover Tour, hosting three more games,[3][4] including a then-American professional women's hockey attendance record of 14,288 on March 16, 2025.[5][6][7] The fourth and final game culminated in a record professional women's hockey attendance at Little Caesars Arena of 15,938 on March 28, 2026.[5][8]

The team's founding and entry into the league was announced on May 6. They will begin playing in the PWHL during the 2026–27 season.[2][5]

The team is the league's ninth franchise overall and its third expansion team, part of the second round of expansion. The team will play its games at Little Caesars Arena, which is also the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2][5]

On May 15, the PWHL announced that Manon Rhéaume would be the general manager for the team.[9] On May 28, the league announced the team had hired Josh Sciba as head coach.[10]. On September 29, the team announced the hirings of Danielle Goyette as assistant coach, and Jimmy Howard as goaltending coach.[11]

Team identity

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As part of the expansion announcement, the team's colors were revealed to be black and silver, with white as a tertiary color and red as an accent color.[5] Like all previous teams, the team will temporarily operate as PWHL Detroit until a permanent team identity is decided.[2]

Players and personnel

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Current roster

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As of July 27, 2026[12]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
11 United States Sydney Bard D R 25 2026 New Hartford, New York
3 United States Cayla Barnes D R 27 2026 Eastvale, California
19 United States Hannah Bilka F L 25 2026 Coppell, Texas
4 United States Mia Biotti D L 24 2026 Cambridge, Massachusetts
13 United States Casey Borgiel D L 22 2026 Port Huron, Michigan
Switzerland Andrea Brändli G L 29 2026 Wald, Zürich, Switzerland
25 Canada Sena Catterall F L 24 2026 Montreal, Quebec
23 United States Mellissa Channell-Watkins D L 31 2026 Plymouth, Michigan
18 United States Jesse Compher F R 27 2026 Northbrook, Illinois
77 United States Britta Curl-Salemme F L 26 2026 Bismarck, North Dakota
27 United States Shiann Darkangelo F L 32 2026 Brighton, Michigan
17 United States Taylor Girard F L 28 2026 Macomb Township, Michigan
28 Canada Nina Jobst-Smith D R 25 2026 North Vancouver, British Columbia
16 Canada Kyla Josifovic F R 23 2026 Burlington, Ontario
21 United States Hilary Knight F R 37 2026 Palo Alto, California
8 Canada Stephanie Markowski D L 25 2026 Edmonton, Alberta
47 United States MK O'Brien F L 24 2026 Wilbraham, Massachusetts
32 France Alice Philbert G L 29 2026 Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec
2 United States Georgia Schiff F L 22 2026 Montpelier, Vermont
71 Japan Akane Shiga F R 25 2026 Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
14 Canada Olivia Wallin F R 24 2026 Oakville, Ontario
9 Canada Daryl Watts F L 27 2026 Toronto, Ontario

References

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  1. ↑
    • Kennedy, Ian (March 16, 2024). "13,736: New American Professional Women's Hockey Attendance Record Set In Detroit". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
    • "PWHL Expansion Picks: Detroit Tops The List". The Hockey News. October 29, 2024. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
    • Stockton, Sam (October 29, 2024). "As PWHL Plans Expansion, Detroit a Natural Candidate". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
    • "PWHL eyes two expansion teams for 2025". Sportsnet. Associated Press. October 29, 2024. Archived from the original on December 9, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Silva, Richard (May 6, 2026). "Detroit officially lands Professional Women's Hockey League team". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  3. ↑ Leroux, Alex (November 18, 2024). "PWHL returns to Detroit in takeover tour of neutral-site games". NHL.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ Salvian, Hailey (November 10, 2025). "PWHL will play 'Takeover Tour' games in Chicago, Dallas, Detroit and more". The Athletic. Archived from the original on November 11, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Professional Women's Hockey League Expands to Detroit". Professional Women's Hockey League. May 6, 2026. Archived from the original on May 6, 2026. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ Lage, Larry (March 16, 2025). "Detroit draws 14,288 to PWHL game, setting U.S. record for pro women's hockey". The Detroit News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 17, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ "PWHL game in New York sets US pro women's hockey attendance record". Associated Press. April 5, 2026. Archived from the original on April 10, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ Falkner, Mark (March 28, 2026). "PWHL sets Detroit attendance record at Sirens-Victoire game". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved September 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Manon Rhéaume Named General Manager of PWHL Detroit". ThePWHL.com. May 15, 2026. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Josh Sciba Named Head Coach of PWHL Detroit". ThePWHL.com. May 28, 2026. Archived from the original on May 28, 2026. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ "PWHL Detroit Fortifies Bench, Adding Danielle Goyette and Jimmy Howard to Coaching Staff". ThePWHL.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. September 29, 2026. Archived from the original on September 30, 2026. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Roster Tracker". www.thepwhl.com. June 9, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
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