The PWHL just announced that Detroit will get a team next season. Michigan is well represented in the PWHL, with 13 players calling it their home state. Some of these Michiganders could fit well with the new franchise.
The expansion process is layered and certainly won’t be straightforward. But for the purposes of this exercise, we’ll pretend Detroit can’t “pluck” anyone, and any player would be signing of their own free will.
Who I think is unlikely to sign with Detroit
The biggest PWHL name from Michigan is Megan Keller, defender and captain of the Boston Fleet. From Farmington, a suburb of Detroit, she has been one of the most valuable players and leaders for the Fleet, especially since the departure of Hilary Knight. It seems unlikely that she’s going anywhere, though—coach Kris Sparre said as much recently:
I’ve see a lot of people say they want to see Megan Keller play for the new PWHL team in her hometown of Detroit, so I asked Fleet coach Kris Sparre about the possibility.
— Emma Healy (@ByEmmaHealy) May 7, 2026
“There’s a 0% chance of that happening.”
Who I’m not sure about
Taylor Girard, from Macomb, was having a breakout year with the New York Sirens before she suffered a season-ending injury. She had seven goals in 17 games and was a key physical piece to the team’s offence. Given her success this season, she may want to continue with the New York franchise.
Similarly, Riley Brengman had an excellent rookie season with the Boston Fleet. The defender from China Township put up strong defensive numbers and worked well within the Fleet’s structure. She may want to continue on that path and watch her game grow in an environment she’s already thriving in.
Defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins grew up mainly in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth and is a two-time Walter Cup champion. She signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Goldeneyes just before the 2025–26 season. Vancouver ended the season with a sense that they were just getting started, so I could see Channell-Watkins staying there for another year.
Who has potential
Hometown player Elle Hartje, from Detroit, has somehow yet to score her first PWHL goal. Playing her college career at Yale, she broke the school’s all-time scoring record with 52 goals and 116 assists in 129 games. A fresh start on PWHL Detroit could be the reset she needs to find her offensive game again.
Three depth forwards also stand out as possibilities for the newest franchise.
Anna Segedi, from the suburb of Commerce Township, played on the fourth line for the Goldeneyes for the latter half of the season. Vancouver was overloaded with forwards and didn’t always deploy them effectively. Segedi could step into a depth role down the centre or on the wing with her hometown team.
None of Toronto’s rookies had particularly notable seasons. Their first 2025 draft pick, Emma Gentry, seemed to find her confidence toward the end of the season, using her 5’11” frame and physicality to her advantage. The forward from Alpena, in Northern Michigan, also has a solid shot.
Clara Van Wieren, from Okemos, played as a defensive centre for the Sceptres. She got key time on the penalty kill, and her game will only continue to develop in her second season.
Who could be franchise players
With the Montréal Victoire, Abby Roque has been having her best season yet, with 22 points in 29 regular season games. She quickly became a fan favourite and developed incredible chemistry with Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey. Member of the Wahnapitae First Nation, Roque grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and notably scored the league’s first Michigan goal in 2024–25.
Victoire fans would be heartbroken to lose her, but nobody can deny she’s of franchise-defining calibre, similar to Sarah Nurse for the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Hilary Knight for the Seattle Torrent. In fact, Roque was one of PWHL New York’s three foundational signings.
Shiann Darkangelo is a veteran and key leader in the PWHL, having worn the “A” on both Ottawa and Montréal. The forward from Brighton was named the inaugural captain of the Toronto Six in the Premier Hockey Federation and led that team to win the Isobel Cup in 2022–23.
Darkangelo also leads off the ice—she was named one of the recipients of the PWHL’s 2025–26 Intact Impact Award, which “recognizes players who make a meaningful impact through their leadership, support of others, and overall positive influence on team culture.” All these qualities point to her being a strong candidate to lead PWHL Detroit.
Who could be in net
Any of the three Michigan goalies could make the move to Detroit and try to earn more ice time.
New York Sirens backup goaltender Callie Shanahan is from Commerce Township and played in four games this season, with a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.02 and a save percentage (SV%) of 0.871%. In the 2024–25 season of her college career at Boston University, she posted a GAA of 1.81 and a 0.924 SV%.
Milford’s Amanda Thiele, third-string goalie for the Boston Fleet, played in just one game this season. She earned a win, stopping 21 of 23 shots from the highest-scoring team in the league in Minnesota. Signing with Detroit could give her more chances to play, as she was behind both Aerin Frankel and Abbey Levy this season.
Kaley Doyle, from the Detroit suburb of Livonia, didn’t see any game action with the Sirens. With Quinnipiac for her final college season, she posted a 1.29 GAA and a 0.945 SV%. She could attempt to become a second-stringer on Detroit.
Who could be picked up in the draft
We don’t yet know where Detroit will pick in the draft. But if they get to choose fairly high up in the order, they could go for Plymouth’s Kirsten Simms in the first round.
Simms is a three-time national champion with the University of Wisconsin and registered 238 points in 152 collegiate games. In the 2023–24 NCAA championship game, she scored the game-tying goal on a penalty shot and then the overtime game-winner against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
In 2025–26, Simms also scored the overtime game-winner in the semifinals against Penn State to send the Badgers to another championship game. She’s also a 2026 Olympic gold medallist with Team USA. Her elite offensive abilities would be a huge asset to the new franchise.
Another great draft pick would be Elyssa Biederman, from the suburb of Franklin. A forward for Colgate University, she earned 183 points in 155 games, good for third in all-time program scoring. The two players ahead of her? Danielle Serdachny and Kristýna Kaltounková. At just 5’1”, Biederman is highly skilled and relentless.
Brace for the offseason
This offseason promises to be a busy one with a lot of moving pieces. Home state or province is not necessarily the deciding factor in who signs where, but certainly, Detroit fans would love to have some hometown players to cheer for.
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