PWHL expansion team identities Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose, Digi Mart USA News (New York and Toronto): The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today unveiled the brands of its four newest expansion teams: Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose. The identities give fans and players a distinct look ahead of the teams’ inaugural 2026-27 seasons, and each was built around the spirit and legacy of its community.
While the expansion teams will wear city-branded jerseys in their first season, the new team logos will appear on redesigned jerseys for their second seasons. Team merchandise featuring the new brands is available now at the PWHL Online Shop.
Detroit’s team is named Clutch, which brings together the city’s legacy of automotive innovation and moments in sports when teams deliver under pressure. The circular logo references a wheel and automotive clutch, with a chrome, Art Deco-inspired wordmark.
Rhythmic vinyl lines within the wheel nod to Motown’s enduring influence. The primary palette of motor black, clutch chrome, hot white and racing red reflects the performance precision and resilient grit of Detroit.
Hamilton’s team is named Havoc, inspired by the balance between industry and nature in the city, where steel mills rise alongside the natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment. The logo is anchored by Hamilton’s official bird, the peregrine falcon, reimagined in steel with molten eyes, alongside bold, steel-forged lettering.
The palette of rusted metal, molten steel, falcon ivory and flame orange reflects a city where nature and industry exist side by side.
San Jose’s team is named Sea Lions, inspired by the rugged Bay Area coastline and the communities that define the region. The Sea Lion emblem at the center of the logo reflects the animal’s intelligence, agility and fierce protection of its colonies.
The modern typography, setting sun visual and palette of coastal blue, sunset orange, tidal navy and sea mist reflect California’s coastline. The name also connects to regional sports history through the San Francisco Sea Lions of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association, who played in 1946 and featured pioneer Toni Stone, the first woman to play baseball regularly in a major men’s professional league.
Las Vegas’s team is named Vanguards, celebrating those who lead the way and embrace challenges. The logo features the kit fox, an adaptable Mojave Desert native, with Las Vegas’s iconic star positioned above the fox between a ‘V’ silhouette.
The typography draws on the American frontier, and the palette of cactus green, fox ivory, desert gold and midnight navy reflects the desert setting.
Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President, Business Operations, said fans had been eagerly waiting for the reveal. “We approached this process with great care, creating team names and logos that reflect the character and pride of each community, while staying connected to the PWHL,” she said.
“As we’ve seen with our first eight teams, these brands will take on even greater meaning as they are embraced and shaped by our fans and players.”
Women-led PWHL design teams led the development of each city’s brand identity. The Las Vegas and San Jose logos included collaboration with the creative agency Doubleday & Cartwright.
The puck drops for PWHL Season Four, and the expansion teams’ inaugural seasons, on PWHL Opening Weekend, December 5-6.
