Ilitch Sports + Entertainment President & CEO Ryan Gustafson said that the company anticipates a “mix of doubleheaders on Red Wings game days and standalone games” with the Detroit PWHL team at Little Caesars Arena, according to Bultman & Salvian of THE ATHELTIC. Gustafson added that they “would be ‘great partners in making sure that the schedule aligns with the needs of the PWHL.’” PWHL EVP/Business Operations Amy Scheer said, “We feel very confident in how we can do here from a business perspective.” Like last year, there was a “long list of criteria” the PWHL examined when deciding where to expand this season. With access to Little Caesars Arena and its attached practice ice, the Belfor Training Center, the league will “be in a ‘best-in-class’ facility.” PWHL EVP/Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford said that the team will “have dedicated locker rooms and ‘everything that is required in our league.’” Bultman & Salvian wrote geographically, it “makes sense for the league to add another team in the American Midwest,” alongside Minnesota, the lone Midwest franchise for the PWHL’s first three seasons (THE ATHLETIC, 5/6). Ilitch Companies President & CEO Christopher Ilitch said, “Detroit has been a part of the PWHL story since day one. When the league played its first-ever neutral site game right here at Little Caesars Arena in 2024, 13,700 fans showed up for a brand new league in its inaugural season.” He added, “And it only grew from there. Detroit hosted more PWHL games than any other neutral site city. … The PWHL didn’t have to guess whether Detroit was ready.” The success of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour stops in Detroit “made placing a franchise here natural” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/6).

ROOM FOR MORE: The AP’s John Wawrow noted there is “more to come,” with the PWHL previously saying that it “plans to expand by between two and four markets.” Scheer would “not reveal how more teams will be added,” though the “expectation remains four to be announced in the coming weeks.” Scheer said that this round of expansion before Season 4 meets PWHL owner Mark Walter’s “vision in building a sustainable league.” Scheer: “While it might be fast in terms of the way other leagues have done things, for us it’s measured and calculated” (AP, 5/6).

BAY BOUND? Salvian in a separate piece cited an email where PWHLPA Exec Dir Malaika Underwood told players “the league intends to move forward with a four-team expansion.” When asked about the email, Scheer said that the league “could add two, three or four teams.” Salvian writes expansion to San Jose “might feel out of left field — especially as fans in established NHL cities such as Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh have long clamored for a team — but that doesn’t mean it’s not an intriguing fit.” The Bay Area has “become a premier hub for women’s sports” with the additions of NWSL and WNBA franchises in recent years. A team in San Jose would make the league “more geographically balanced” — with at least three teams out west, two in the Midwest and five out east — and “could cut back on Seattle and Vancouver’s travel.” If the league indeed expands to San Jose, “that leaves room for two more teams.” Given the “consistently strong attendance numbers” in the league’s current Canadian markets, “at least one new franchise should be North of the border” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/7).