By JESSICA SCHIEBER
The PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) has announced the team names for its four newest expansion teams. Those teams are the Detroit Clutch, the Hamilton Havoc, the San Jose Sea Lions and the Vegas Vanguards.
This makes 12 teams in the league. In the Eastern Conference the teams are the Boston Fleet, the newly added Hamilton Havoc, the Montreal Victoire, the New York Sirens, the Ottawa Charge and the Toronto Scepters.
In the Western Conference are the other three newly added teams the Detroit Clutch, Las Vegas Vanguards and the San Jose Sea Lions. The other teams in the conference are the Minnesota Frost, the Seattle Torrent and the Vancouver Goldeneyes. These teams will begin their season on December 5.
Normally with an addition to the league there would be an expansion draft, however the league replaced the expansion draft with a multi-phase player distribution and signing process that was designed to maximize player autonomy. The PWHL was founded in June 2023. There have been three completed seasons so far, the 2024 season, the 2024-25 season and the 2025-26 season. This season will be the fourth season.
The top players in the PWHL are Marie-Philip Poulin a forward who plays for the Montreal Victoire, Aerin Frankel a goaltender who plays for the Boston Fleet, Kelly Pannek a forward who plays for the Minnesota Frost, Taylor Heise a forward who plays for Minnesota Frost, Renata Fast a defender who plays for the Toronto Sceptres, Daryl Watts a forward who is now playing for Detroit Clutch and Hilary Knight a forward who plays for the Boston Fleet.
Poulin is widely known as “Captain Clutch” or the GOAT of the league. She won the 2026 Ilana Loss Playoff MVP and is the leader of all-time regular season points in the league.
Frankel is a Billie Jean King MVP and Goaltender of the Year award winner. She has the single-season record with 19 wins and eight shutouts.
Pannek was honored as the PWHL Forward of the Year after she had a record-breaking 33-point campaign.
Heise is a marquee star and a former playoff MVP. She is one of the league’s most dangerous offensive threats.
Fast is recognized as one of the premier two-way defenders in women’s hockey. She has elite transition and zone-control skills.
Watts is a dynamic, high-scoring winger. She commands attention on the ice whenever she is playing.
Knight is a perennial superstar who is known for her lethal scoring touch and elite off-the-puck awareness. She is also the captain of the United States women’s national ice hockey team. Knight hold numerous records and has been a dominant force in both international and professional hockey.
Knight has won ten gold medals at the IIHF World Women’s Championship, which is the most ever by any hockey player, and holds the tournament records for goals, assists and points. She is a five-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in 2018 and 2026. She won silver in 2010, 2014 and 2022. She even had the honor of being a flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.