Detroit could land a Professional Women’s Hockey League team before next season starts. That’s not spin from the city’s boosters. That’s the assessment from The Athletic.
The PWHL’s Advisory Board Member Stan Kasten told The Athletic the league plans to announce expansion news “in the next few weeks.” The Athletic was direct about where Detroit stands: “At this point, it would be shocking if Detroit weren’t one of the league’s newest teams by next season.”
Little Caesars Arena just backed that up with a number.
The April Takeover Tour game between the Montreal Victoire and New York Sirens drew 15,938 fans, a new PWHL record for the arena. That’s the fourth time Detroit has hosted a Takeover Tour game in three seasons, and each one has built the case that this city will support a franchise.
What the Numbers Say
That crowd didn’t happen by accident. Detroit has now hosted more PWHL Takeover Tour games than most cities will ever see. The fans showed up, held signs, and made enough noise that a league still sorting out its second wave of expansion can’t look away. The latest game was also the first PWHL contest to air nationally on ION, which is owned by E.W. Scripps, the same parent company as WXYZ. Ally Financial, headquartered right here in Detroit, sponsored the broadcast.
That’s local money, local airwaves, and a record crowd. Hard combination to argue against.
University of Michigan Regent Denise Ilitch put it plainly on her podcast last week: “I believe we’ll be getting a team in Detroit soon, which really excites me.” Ilitch, whose family built Little Caesars Arena and the Red Wings dynasty around it, doesn’t make casual comments about hockey in this city. Her public optimism carries weight, and the timing wasn’t accidental.
The League’s Direction
The PWHL launched with six teams and added Seattle and Vancouver last season, pushing to eight. Those West Coast additions gave the league its first footprint outside the Northeast and Canada. The league’s current structure puts franchises in Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, Seattle, and Vancouver. Detroit would bring Midwest presence and a hockey market with decades of built-in demand.
It’s worth understanding what the Takeover Tour actually is. The PWHL sends games to cities without teams to test demand and build fan bases ahead of potential expansion decisions. Four games in three seasons is a meaningful commitment. Detroit didn’t just pass the test. It broke a venue attendance record.
Why Detroit Makes Sense
Detroit’s claim to the hockey identity isn’t brand positioning. It’s genuine. The Red Wings won four Stanley Cup championships between 1997 and 2008, and generations of fans grew up watching playoff runs at the old Joe Louis Arena. That culture doesn’t disappear when a league is deciding where to plant a new franchise.
What’s changed is the women’s game itself. The PWHL debuted in 2024 after years of the women’s professional hockey landscape failing to stick, and it’s holding. TV deals, sponsorships, and sellout crowds suggest the league has real footing now. Detroit fits that moment cleanly.
The fan signs at the Takeover Tour game made it personal. People didn’t just clap for a neutral-site match. They came with homemade signs and genuine stakes in the outcome.
What Comes Next
Kasten’s “next few weeks” comment means an announcement likely lands sometime this spring or early summer. The league hasn’t confirmed Detroit specifically, and no team name, ownership group, or arena deal has been made public. Little Caesars Arena is the obvious home, and the Ilitch organization’s fingerprints are already on this conversation through Denise Ilitch’s comments.
The city has done its part. Four games. Four strong crowds. A record attendance. National TV. A hometown corporate sponsor.
According to initial reporting from WXYZ, Detroit’s run as a tryout market may be ending because the real thing is coming.
