New name, logo revealed for Detroit's new Professional Women's Hockey League team
The Detroit Clutch officially unveiled as new PWHL team name
The Detroit Pro Women's Hockey League team held a press conference officially revealing its name and logo.
FOX 2 - The Detroit Professional Women's Hockey League team now has a name and a logo.
The backstory:
Social media revealed that the team will be named Detroit Clutch, as the franchise's nod to the automotive industry.
The logo is that of a tire with tread and the name Detroit emblazoned on the top half-circle above the team name.
Amy Scheer, the senior vice president of business operations, said that the name was chosen to represent the grit of the city.
The Detroit Clutch name
Detroit's PWHL team unveils new name, logo
Introducing the Detroit Clutch - one of the newest Women's Professional Hockey League teams. Video: Detroit PWHL on X.
What they're saying:
"We felt Detroit Clutch did that. It speaks to the automotive side, the precision, the innovation, the vision of the city," she said. "But it's also such a great sports term, rising to the occasion. And so we felt it was a term that represented the people of the Metro Detroit area, but also a pretty cool term for our athletes as well."
Defenders Melissa Channell Watkins and Sydney Bard were on hand at the press conference of the team announcement.
Channell Watkins is from Plymouth and said she knows the symbolism well.
"Like Amy was saying, it kind of takes in pieces of all parts of Detroit. And growing up from being from here, it's really special," she said. "You get the automotive part. You get music part. Like, there's all little details in the logo that I think are incredible. And I'm really excited to start repping this logo here pretty soon."
Both players talked about their enthusiasm for the new season, which starts early next month.
"I know myself and all of our teammates are really ready to hit the ice and get to training camp," she said. "And I think the clutch is a perfect name to try to embody the first time that we come together as a collective."
Source: PWHL Detroit page on X.
The Detroit team was one of four franchises that was set to make the special naming announcement.
They were revealed as the Hamilton Havoc, San Jose Sea Lions and Vegas Vanguards.
The name and logo introduction hype video is narrated by US Olympic hero and Detroit captain Hilary Knight.
"Built by people who set ideas into motion. A city built to create, to challenge, to endure. Where sparks fly and every shift asks more of us. We honor the roads that brought us here, but the road ahead is ours to create. Vision meets precision. Traction meets torque. Metal meets ice.
"The pressure that builds us becomes the force that drives us forward. Relentless in pursuit, unshaken when the stakes rise, always ready for what comes next.
"We are, the Detroit Clutch."
On Oct. 8 the team revealed the jersey colors, which feature both white and black as the dominant color.
They also include silver and red accent colors, which are an ode to "the city’s automotive history, innovative and industrial spirit, and the bold and resilient identity of Metro Detroiters," a news release said.
The PWHL season starts when?
What's next:
Detroit opens the season Dec. 6 on the road at Las Vegas before playing its first home game at noon, Dec. 12 against New York at LCA.
The PWHL team will play 30 games, including 18 within the expanded Western Conference and the rest in the Eastern Conference.
"There’s something really special about being the first group to bring PWHL hockey to Detroit," said Josh Sciba, PWHL Detroit Head Coach, previously. "We have an incredible opportunity to build something from the ground up, and we know how much hockey means to this community."
You can see the full schedule here.
The Source: Information for this report is from the Detroit PWHL team and prior coverage.