PWHL unveils names and logos for 4 expansion teams: Sea Lions, Clutch, Havoc and Vanguards

The Professional Women’s Hockey League has unveiled the names and logos for its four newest expansion teams: the Detroit Clutch, Hamilton Havoc, San Jose Sea Lions and Vegas Vanguards. Detroit’s name and crest celebrate the Motor City’s automotive innovation and evoke the “defining moments in sports when teams deliver under pressure,” according to the PWHL’s media release. The logo references a wheel and automotive clutch, featuring vinyl lines within the wheel as a nod to Motown music. The team’s primary colors are black, chrome, white and red. The Hamilton Havoc identity draws on the city’s steelmaking history — Hamilton is known as Canada’s “Steel City” — and natural landscape, the league said. The crest centers on Hamilton’s official bird, the peregrine falcon, reimagined in steel with molten eyes, using a color palette of rusted steel, gold, ivory and “flame orange.” San Jose’s logo is a sea lion, which is common along the Bay Area coastline. The name also pays tribute to the 1946 San Francisco Sea Lions of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association. The crest pairs the animal emblem with a setting sun, set against a color palette of coastal blue, sunset orange, tidal navy, and “sea mist,” according to the release. The Vegas Vanguards name, meanwhile, “represents courage, determination, and a willingness to forge new paths,” the league said. The logo features a kit fox, which is native to the area, set in a green, ivory, navy and “desert gold” color palette. “Our fans have been eagerly waiting for this moment, and we’re excited to officially introduce these new team identities as we mark another major milestone for the PWHL,” Amy Scheer, the PWHL’s executive vice president of business operations, said in Tuesday’s media release. “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. “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, ultimately becoming a source of pride and a rallying cry for the communities they represent.” The announcement comes after the PWHL unveiled the expansion teams’ jerseys last month. The new team logos will be featured on merchandise and then on redesigned jerseys next season. With the addition of four expansion franchises — going from eight teams to 12 — the PWHL will play a 180-game regular season and an expanded playoffs in 2026-27. The league’s fourth season also introduces Eastern and Western conferences for the first time in league history. The Boston Fleet, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, Toronto Sceptres and Havoc will compete in the Eastern Conference. The Minnesota Frost, Seattle Torrent, Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Clutch, Vanguards and Sea Lions will compete in the Western Conference. All four expansion teams will make their season debuts during the PWHL’s opening weekend on Dec. 5 and 6. This article originally appeared in The Athletic . PWHL Detroit, PWHL Hamilton, PWHL Las Vegas, PWHL San Jose, NHL, Sports Business, Women's Hockey 2026 The Athletic Media Company