The PWHL is showing its true colors. The league’s four 2026/27 expansion teams released their inaugural jerseys this week ahead of December’s puck-drop.
Each team’s market — Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose — stretches diagonally across the debut kits. Offical names and logos will be revealed at a later date.
“These jerseys give fans another way to show their pride while carrying forward a PWHL tradition of putting the city name front and center in a team’s inaugural season,” said EVP of Business Operations Amy Scheer.
Color palettes reflect each team’s hometown. Detroit sports an automotive-inspired white, silver, red, and black scheme, while Hamilton’s gold, deep red, burnt orange, and cream motif subsequently honors its steel industry.
Las Vegas evokes Nevada’s landscape with green, gold, and navy. Meanwhile, San Jose’s mandarin orange and sky blue accents reflect the Bay Area.
Where to Buy PWHL Expansion Team Jerseys
Replica jerseys are set to drop one week before December 5th’s season opener. However, new player name and number t-shirts available now via the PWHL Shop.
The PWHL's four expansion franchises are closing in on their official identities. PWHL names for the Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose expansion teams have already been settled internally, with a public jersey reveal expected before training camps open on November 18th.
PWHL Expansion Teams to Set Name, Jersey Reveals
Though fans won't see those names on game-day sweaters just yet, all four expansion squads will follow the league's tradition of wearing city names diagonally across the chest with full PWHL expansion team names and jerseys arriving in 2027/28. The league's existing branding, with teams like the Charge and Torrent, suggests the new names will follow the same abstract style.
Even without official names, each franchise has already locked in its color palette.
PWHL Detroit will sport a black-and-silver base trimmed in white and red, while Las Vegas opted for green and gold with an unexpected navy trim. Hamilton rounds out the Eastern Conference additions in gold, maroon, and cream. San Jose, meanwhile, brings orange, blue, and white to the West.
Together, the four clubs join a 180-game regular season tipping off December 5th and running through April 18th. With colors confirmed and names on deck, the league's next chapter is coming into focus.
The PWHL released its 2026/27 season schedule on Friday, doubling the pro hockey league's footprint as four expansion teams join a revamped 12-club calendar. Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose will hit the ice alongside last season's eight franchises when the schedule opens December 5th.
PWHL Expansion Teams Create New Conference Calendar
The expanded season also brings the league's first conference format.
Two new PWHL conferences divide the dozen teams into two regional groups. Boston, Hamilton, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto form the East. Meanwhile, Detroit, Las Vegas, Minnesota, San Jose, Seattle, and Vancouver make up the West.
Each club plays 30 games: 18 within its conference and 12 crossover matchups, with the regular season stretching through April 18th.
"With 12 teams, new conferences, and more games than ever before, this schedule reflects the PWHL's monumental growth," said EVP of Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford.
"The introduction of conferences and an expanded playoff format will deepen rivalries and fuel the competitiveness that makes PWHL action so exciting from the very first puck drop until the Walter Cup is raised."
The full PWHL calendar also features a league-first All-Star Game on March 7th at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena. Once the regular season wraps, eight teams advance to postseason play, where each conference's top seed selects its first-round opponent.
Single-game tickets for the 2026/27 season go on sale October 9th.
Claire Thompson announced her retirement from the PWHL, marking the end of a groundbreaking run in Canada women's hockey and beyond. The Vancouver Goldeneyes defender helped the PWHL expansion franchise through its debut season, before stepping away from the sport.
Her next step? She plans to head back to NYU Grossman to finish her medical degree, with orthopedic surgery as her focus.
Inside PWHL Star Claire Thompson's Olympics Career with Canada
Thompson leaves behind one of the most decorated careers in the sport. At Beijing 2022, she posted 13 points as a defender — the most ever posted by a hockey player in her position in one Games. Her performance helped Canada capture gold that year.
She added a silver medal at the 2026 Milan Games, finishing with 17 points across 14 Olympic appearances, more than any defender has recorded in Olympic play.
Before arriving in Vancouver, Minnesota selected Thompson third overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft. She helped the Frost win the 2025 Walter Cup, then became the PWHL expansion club's inaugural signing and an alternate captain. In 28 games with the Goldeneyes, she recorded 13 assists and four goals during the club's debut season.
Why Claire Thompson Is Leaving Hockey for Medicine
Despite still performing at a high level on the ice, Thompson says the timing of her retirement felt right.
"A career in medicine has always been an overarching goal of mine," she said. "I feel very content and ready for this next chapter of my life."
Thompson plans to use her degree to help fellow women's sports athletes in their own professional journeys.
The PWHL is spotlighting its stars. The newly expanded league announced it will hold its first All-Star event on March 7th at Scotiabank Arena.
Four 10-player squads — Canada, International, USA, and Rookies — will compete in the 3×3 round-robin tournament. The top teams subsequently advance to a semifinal and final.
“The PWHL was built to feature the best players in the world,” said EVP of Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford.
“It’s only fitting that we return to Toronto — where the PWHL first dropped the puck — to bring the best of the best together.”
Additional details, including All-Star voting, roster construction, ticket information, and gameplay rules, are expected in the coming months.
Todays announcement was held at Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame.
The PWHL is broadening its reach, signing its first season-long national TV deal this week after years of relying on streaming, local, and regional US distribution.
As the pro hockey league enters its expanded fourth season, ION and Scripps Sports will air a Saturday Game of the Week plus two more weekly games. The network also returns for another exclusive Walter Cup Finals broadcast.
The deal delivers the PWHL to 128 million+ households. It joins the WNBA, NWSL, MLV, WTGL, and FIVB on ION’s growing women’s sports roster.
“Women’s sports is a cornerstone of our mission,” Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor said in a statement. “This partnership further demonstrates ION as the premier destination.”
NCAA hockey is returning to Lambeau Field, as 2026 champion Wisconsin announced plans to take on runner-up Ohio State in February’s Frozen Tundra Faceoff — marking the NFL stadium’s first hockey action since 2006.
The matchup features the sport’s two defining programs, with the rivals combining to win the past seven NCAA titles, including battling each other in the last four finals.
The clash opens a high-profile doubleheader at the 81,041-seat stadium, with Wisconsin’s men’s team taking on Michigan in the nightcap.
The Green Bay Packers last hosted an ice hockey match in 2006, when the Wisconsin men beat Ohio State 4-2 in the inaugural Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic.
The Frozen Tundra Faceoff hits the ice February 20th, with ticket presales launching September 9th.
Minnesota is doubling down on its skipper. The Frost re-signed captain Kendall Coyne Schofield to a two-year contract through the 2027/28 PWHL season.
Coyne Schofield led the Frost to back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025. She was bolstered by her experience as a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
“My first three seasons in Minnesota have been unforgettable,” Coyne Schofield said in a team statement. “We’re thrilled to be back for the next two.”
Amid rapid expansion, the re-signing allows Minnesota to retain its inaugural leadership core. Alternate captains Lee Stecklein and Kelly Pannek are also returning to the Frost.
The PWHL is set to drop the puck on the 2026/27 season in November
Hilary Knight arrived at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday as the face of PWHL Detroit. The five-time Olympic medalist was formally introduced after a June trade that cost the PWHL expansion franchise a first-round draft pick to pry her from Las Vegas.
Hilary Knight Arrives at PWHL Detroit with Olympic Star Power
That price reflects what Knight brings. She captained Team USA to gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan just months ago, and across 76 career PWHL games, she tallied 54 points spanning stints with Boston and Seattle.
"I just can't wait to get started," Knight said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."
Meanwhile, general manager Manon Rhéaume is assembling the rest of the roster. Rhéaume made history as the first woman to play in an NHL preseason game, and Knight sees a direct line between that moment and her own career.
"I wouldn't be here unless Manon had her vision," Knight said.
PWHL Expansion Side Eyes Walter Cup Chase
Yet one prize has eluded Knight through three PWHL franchises: the Walter Cup. As PWHL Detroit prepares for its inaugural season this fall, that chase is what drives her most.
"I would love to win one of those," Knight shared of her season hopes. "I want to establish a successful foundation that is going to be pay dividends, hopefully right off the bat."
The PWHL’s Walter Cup trophy is missing, as the reigning champion Montréal Victoire saw its permanent replica of the trophy disappear in transit.
According to reports, the Cup was en route to Alberta, Canada to spend the day with Victoire forward Dara Grieg but never arrived.
Its last public appearance was on August 9th, with the league telling The AP it’s “working closely with the shipping company to locate it.”
The original Walter Cup is on permanent display at Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame, with each year’s winning team receiving a silver replica following a ceremonial presentation on the ice.