Detroit lands a PWHL franchise for 2026-27

Detroit has its own women's pro hockey team. The Professional Women's Hockey League announced on May 6 that the city will field the league's ninth franchise starting in the 2026-27 season, with home games at Little Caesars Arena.

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, which runs the arena, led the bid. Ally Financial comes in as the inaugural partner, with a patch on the team's jersey and a role as the team's official bank. The league framed the move as a long time coming for a market that has already shown up for the sport.

"Detroit has been part of PWHL history since the beginning," league executive Amy Scheer said in the announcement.

The numbers back that up. Detroit fans set a then-record U.S. arena crowd for women's hockey of 14,288 in March 2025, and pushed past it on March 28, 2026, when 15,938 packed Little Caesars Arena for the city's most recent league game, per the PWHL. That demand carried into the franchise news. League officials said more than 4,000 season-ticket deposits were placed in the first 24 hours after the announcement, according to WXYZ.

The team does not have a name yet. The league unveiled a placeholder identity built on black and silver, with white as a secondary color and red as an accent, a nod to the city's hockey history. A full name and branding are still to come.

Season-ticket deposits opened the day of the announcement. Standard deposits start at $50 per seat and premium center-ice deposits start at $200, per Fox 2 Detroit.

Detroit is also hosting two of the league's marquee offseason events. The 2026 PWHL Awards Ceremony, presented by Ally, is set for Tuesday, June 16, and the 2026 PWHL Draft, presented by Upper Deck, follows on Wednesday, June 17, at the Fox Theatre as a ticketed event open to fans.

Once it takes the ice, the team will share Little Caesars Arena with the Red Wings and practice at the BELFOR Training Center inside the arena complex. The building is ready. The roster, the name, and the first faceoff are still ahead.