Detroit has a new professional women's hockey team, and it's called the Clutch. The PWHL unveiled the name and logo on Tuesday as part of its expansion rollout, and the Motor City's newest pro sports franchise is set to hit the ice for the first time next month.
The team is one of four expansion clubs revealed this week, alongside the Hamilton Havoc, San Jose Sea Lions and Vegas Vanguards, according to The Athletic. All four are scheduled to debut in the 2026-27 season, with Detroit's squad set to play its first game on the road against the Vegas Vanguards on Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena, per the PWHL. The team's home opener follows shortly after, with the Clutch hosting the New York Sirens at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 12 at noon ET.
The name and crest are meant to lean into Detroit's identity as a manufacturing hub. The league says the branding celebrates the city's automotive innovation and evokes the defining moments in sports when teams deliver under pressure, the same source notes. The circular logo references a wheel and an automotive clutch, with vinyl record-style lines worked into the design as a nod to Motown music.
Fans React Online, With Jabs About the Auto Theme
Reaction on social media has been mixed, according to the Detroit Free Press, which reported the team name announcement received mostly negative reviews online. Some fans reportedly wanted the Cougars as a nod to the early history of the Red Wings, while others wanted a revival of the Vipers, the name of a former International Hockey League team that played in Detroit from 1994 to 2001 before the league folded, according to HockeyDB.
Online reaction also included criticism of the auto-themed identity.
Not Everyone Is Down on the New Identity
Still, some social media users defended the new identity, per the Detroit Free Press report.
For now, Detroiters won't actually see the Clutch branding on the ice. The four expansion teams' names and logos aren't scheduled to appear on game jerseys until the 2027-28 season, the CBC reports, meaning fans will have a full season to get used to the name before they see it stitched across a sweater.
