The PWHL Draft comes to Detroit's Fox Theatre on Wednesday. Here's what to know.

Hockeytown is hosting women's professional hockey's biggest night.

The 2026 PWHL Draft comes to the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, June 17, with selections starting at 5 p.m. ET. Detroit was chosen as the site for the league's annual awards weekend, the first time the event has been held in an expansion city, and the draft itself is the ticketed, public-facing portion of the two-day gathering. Twelve teams will make picks across six rounds, with 72 players set to hear their names called from a record field of eligible candidates.

The PWHL held its season awards ceremony Tuesday evening for invited guests and credentialed media. Wednesday is the night fans get in the door.

If you're heading downtown early, the PWHL Draft Fan Zone on Columbia Street runs from 2 to 5 p.m. with activities and photo opportunities before the main event at the Fox. Tickets start at $32 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Detroit already made its biggest move before a single pick is announced. The team traded its third-overall selection to PWHL Las Vegas in exchange for Hilary Knight, one of the most recognizable names in American women's hockey. The deal became official Tuesday, when the league permitted picks to be transferred ahead of the draft. Knight joins Daryl Watts, Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes, Jesse Compher, and Britta Curl-Salemme as Detroit's foundational six heading into the inaugural 2026-27 season.

That trade means Detroit won't select until the second round. But Michigan fans have a name to watch among the eligible prospects. Kirsten Simms, a forward from Plymouth who came up through the Little Caesars and Honeybaked programs before going to Wisconsin, is one of the most productive players in this class. She finished her career in Madison with 238 points in 152 games and is the only player in the 2026 draft pool to have scored 70 or more points in two separate NCAA seasons. Simms also won three national championships and Olympic gold with the U.S. team. If she is still on the board when Detroit's second-round pick arrives, she would give Hockeytown a hometown player to build around.

The most anticipated pick of the evening is Caroline Harvey, a defenseman who won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and a national title at Wisconsin and was named Tournament MVP and Best Defender at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Vancouver holds the first overall selection.

The draft airs on Scripps Sports in the United States, TSN2 in Canada, and on the PWHL's YouTube channel worldwide for those watching from home.

Detroit is one of four expansion franchises joining the league for its fourth season, alongside Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose. Wednesday at the Fox is where the city's women's hockey story officially begins.