PWHL Detroit, the city's newest sports team, was unveiled on May 6, 2026, and preparations are now underway for the women's hockey team's inaugural season.
Preseason games begin in November, with regular-season action starting in December. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know before PWHL Detroit takes the ice.
What’s the PWHL?
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) launched in 2024 with six teams representing Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa and Toronto. The league brings together top hockey talent from around the world, including world champions and Olympians.
In 2025, the league expanded into Seattle and Vancouver. Detroit is one of four cities joining the league in 2026, alongside Hamilton (Ontario), Las Vegas and San Jose, bringing the total to 12 teams for the 2026–27 season.
Detroit’s team doesn’t have a name — yet
The names of the four expansion teams haven’t been announced so, for now, you can call them PWHL Detroit, PWHL Hamilton, PWHL Las Vegas and PWHL San Jose. All four teams are developing their own identities, including names and logos.
Where will PWHL Detroit play?
PWHL Detroit will play its home games at Little Caesars Arena. Even before Detroit landed a team, fans packed the arena for PWHL Takeover Tour games in 2024, 2025, and early 2026. Strong attendance and fan interest helped pave the way for Detroit to join the league.
Local talent, local connections
Detroit’s first PWHL draft included Casey Borgiel, a defender from Port Huron who became the team’s first-ever draft pick from Michigan. She joins fellow Michigan natives Mellissa Channell-Watkins from Plymouth, and Shiann Darkangelo from Brighton, on the roster.
The team also has a notable connection to Michigan hockey history: General Manager Manon Rhéaume made history as the first woman to play in an NHL preseason game and previously worked with the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club in Michigan.
Training camps open for the season on November 18, with players finding out training camp rosters the week of October 5. Each team will invite 28-32 players, and all 12 teams in the league will play two scrimmage games to help with player development. According to the PWHL, "All preseason scrimmages will be 60 minutes of full stoppage gameplay with 21-player lineups, followed by a 3-on-3 overtime and a shootout, regardless of the score."
When is the PWHL preseason?
PWHL Detroit will play its two preseason games at 1:30 p.m. November 23 (vs. the Ottawa Charge) and 24 (vs. PWHL Hamilton) at Morgan Firestone Arena in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Information about fan access to these games will be announced at later time by the host teams.
When and where to watch PWHL games
PWHL Detroit will make its debut on the road against PWHL Las Vegas at 8 p.m. December 6 at T-Mobile Arena. The team’s first home game follows at noon December 12, when Detroit takes on the New York Sirens at Little Caesars Arena.
All PWHL games are broadcast live on the PWHL YouTube channel, and PWHL Detroit games will be broadcast locally on WMYD TV20 Detroit.
Detroit is part of the Western Conference. It will play 30 regular season games, 18 within its conference. The league will also feature a playoff series at the end of the season.
You can see the Detroit's full schedule here and learn more about the PWHL season schedule here. For information on tickets, you can visit the PWHL Detroit team site.
