Could Detroit be getting a PWHL team? What we know ahead of big Ilitch announcement
The New York Sirens and Montréal Victoire play at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on March 28, 2026. (Amber Eikenberry/FOX 2)
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A big announcement is expected tomorrow in Detroit, and signs suggest it could be the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) finally coming to the city.
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and city officials will hold a press conference Wednesday morning to make "an exciting announcement."
The backstory:
Rumors have been swirling for months that Detroit is one of several cities favored to get a PWHL team in this year's expansion. In late March, following a successful Takeover Tour game, Detroit Red Wings co-owner Denise Ilitch said she expected the city to get a team.
"As you know, women's hockey is exploding, and we have a Professional Women's Hockey League which is unbelievable," she said on her podcast. "And I believe we'll be getting a team in Detroit soon, which really excites me."
The PWHL consists of eight teams that play several games in cities that don't have teams. These games, called the Takeover Tour, started in two cities during the 2023-24 season and expanded to 11 cities this season.
Denise Ilitch believes Detroit will get professional women's hockey team 'soon'
The Hockey News reports the Professional Women's Hockey League is expected to add two to four teams with the announcement coming possibly as soon as next week.
Fans in Detroit have consistently shown up for the league, which has hosted four games in the city since the league started in 2023. This season, two PWHL games were held in Detroit. Both games were double headers with the Red Wings, which some fans speculated was to test the feasibility of adding another professional sports team to Little Caesars Arena.
Hopes were high in Detroit last year when the league announced it was expanding, but it instead expanded to Vancouver and Seattle.
Despite being passed over in the first round of expansion, fans continue to push for a team in Detroit and show how much the city wants that. Saturday's game featured more than a handful of signs demanding Detroit gets a PWHL team.
When Vancouver's team was announced last year, Amy Scheer, the executive vice president of business operations, said the league had a several-year expansion plan.
"For all of the cities that expressed interest, if you're not chosen for this year, it doesn't mean you won't be chosen," Scheer said last April.
Dig deeper:
PWHL fans have been waiting for this year's expansion announcement as the league rides the high of increased popularity following the U.S. women's Olympic gold medal win.
The league is currently in the playoffs, with the Montreal Victoire, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, and Ottawa Charge all vying for the Walter Cup.
What's next:
While nothing is confirmed about Wednesday's press conference, all signs point to it being a good chance it will be the league's first expansion announcement of the year.
FOX 2 plans to stream the press conference live at 10 a.m. Wednesday, so check back tomorrow to find out more.
The Source: Previous reporting was used in this story.