After a year playing under simply their geographic names, the Inaugural Six teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League are heading into their second season with new team names and logos.
The PWHL unveiled the names and logos on Monday, September 9, on ABC’s Good Morning America in the United States and on Citytv’s Breakfast Television in Canada. The identities were developed in partnership with New York-based creative agency Flower Shop and are “inspired by the fans, players, and cities in which the teams play.”
“The unveiling of these new team identities marks a significant milestone for the entire PWHL community,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL Senior Vice President of Business Operations, on the league website. “Over the inaugural season, we rigorously developed the most authentic team brands for each city. The PWHL has united the professional women’s hockey community, and we are excited for these new identities to deepen the connection between the teams and their local communities. We want these to become symbols that our players and fans alike can rally behind as we move forward in this new chapter of our journey.”
“Our teams were so proud to represent their home markets last season, and as we launch Season Two, we’re elevating that pride with new identities that truly embody the spirit of each club,” added Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. “These new names and logos capture the dynamic energy of our athletes and enhance our teams’ presence in their cities, building a stronger foundation for the future of our league.”
All six teams have retained the primary colors they wore during the PWHL’s inaugural season, though some have added additional colors.
Here’s a team-by-team breakdown of the new identities:
BOSTON FLEET
For the Boston Fleet, their new name symbolizes the players on the team and their fans all moving as one toward a common goal. It stands for strength in numbers — for fans turning up and supporting their team. It also draws on Boston’s maritime roots, from shipbuilding to commercial fishing boats.
A sideways ship’s anchor forms a B in the Boston Fleet’s new primary logo. Its forward-leaning shape “evokes a sail catching wind, representing momentum and a relentless drive for success.” The waves inside the B “the dynamic energy of the ocean and the team’s steadfast resilience.”
MINNESOTA FROST
Minnesota’s PWHL franchise is embracing the cold with their new name: the Minnesota Frost. The defending PWHL champions relish the winter, when the Land of 10,000 Lakes becomes the Land of 10,000 Rinks. “Kids take their first steps on skates,” the team said in a press release. “Warm bonds among friends, family, and teammates are forged with sticks in hand when your breath is visible.”
The process of creating the Frost’s identity drew on interviews with fans and players. The logo — a forward-charging F with two-tone purple shading — “captures the sharp, angular essence of icicles, signifying Minnesota’s embrace of the cold and deep connection to hockey.” The sharp edges on the logo “reflect the icy nature of frost, mirroring the team’s endurance and intensity.”
VICTOIRE DE MONTRÉAL
As the city where the first indoor hockey game was ever played in March 1875, Montréal’s hockey history runs deep. And now the PWHL adds to that history with la Victoire de Montréal. The name honors the passionate fans who turned up in the team’s first season and celebrated the team in every sense, including turning intermissions into dance parties.
For the logo, designers wanted something sophisticated and elevated. They landed on an art deco design with several motifs incorporated. The main V figure “[evokes] the two-fingered victory sign and the wings of the Goddess of Victory” while the blue M in the middle represents the Greater Montréal area. The fleur-de-lis at the top is a nod to “the rich cultural history of the province and the city.”
NEW YORK SIRENS
The New York Sirens name is “an ode to New York City’s one-of-a-kind energy, pace and rhythm – embodying the City’s sounds and people.” It’s also a nod to the horns that sound every time a hockey player scores a goal.
The Sirens’ logo was designed to reflect the intensity of New York and its “gritty cityscape.” The reverberating Ss on either side of the logo visually mimic sound waves, “symbolizing the city’s constant hum.” The “NY” monogram in the background “speaks to New York’s bold and robust architecture.”
OTTAWA CHARGE
The name for the Ottawa Charge is inspired by the city’s motto, “Advance” (“En Avant”), “nodding to its constant state of dynamic growth and forward progress as Canada’s Capital City.” The name seeks to embody the “electrifying force that pulses through Ottawa’s river and streets, through the stands of the arena and on the ice, driving us all only in one direction: forever forward.”
The Charge’s logo is an O that is meant to “convey a sense of energy and movement.” It’s a “spinning object brimming with electrical current, representing the intensity and power that the fans bring to every game,” and has spikes radiating from the back to emphasize its forward momentum.
TORONTO SCEPTRES
Toronto is known as the Queen City and one of its main thoroughfares is Queen Street, so it’s only fitting that its PWHL team name reflects royalty: the Toronto Sceptres. The sceptre has long been a symbol of power and strength in royal courts and palaces, and now it will be yielded by hockey royalty.
The team’s logo features interlocking gold T and S initials, each with bevel effects added for “a sense of depth and solidity, enhancing its regal quality and imbuing it with a tangible, prestigious feel.” The T extends into a sceptre with an orb at the top, which “represents strength and an unyielding quest for excellence.”
None of the names unveiled Monday match up with ones that the PWHL had previously trademarked back in October 2023. Those names included: Boston Wicked; Minnesota Superior; Montréal Echo; New York Sound; Ottawa Alert; and Toronto Torch.
Twitter user @adam_la2karis pointed out after Monday’s announcement that league partner Bauer had publicly published shop preview pages on their website that listed other finalist names for each PWHL team. According to the graphics on those pages, there were four possibilities for each team, including the previously trademarked names and the ones they eventually went with.
Gear and accessories featuring the new identities is now available on the PWHL’s official online shop. Redesigned jerseys manufactured by Bauer will be unveiled closer to the start of the 2024-25 season.
The PWHL hasn’t yet announced its schedule for the 2024-25 season. The league played its first-ever game on January 1, 2024, and the regular season ran until May 5. The squad from Minnesota won the first-ever Walter Cup championship on May 29, 2024, with a 3-0 win over Boston in the decisive Game 5 of the final series.
