PWHL Detroit hire Manon Rhéaume as general manager

Things move fast in the world of PWHL expansion. With only a few months to build out a brand and entire roster, the teams waste no time putting together staff to figure things out — and PWHL Detroit is already off the mark. 

On Friday, the first announcement of the four new expansion teams for 2026-27 revealed that famed Canadian netminder Manon Rhéaume would take on the general manager role to build the club’s inaugural roster. 

Rhéaume joins the team after four seasons in the hockey operations department with the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and an 11-year tenure working with the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club. 

However, she remains best known for her time on the ice, where she won silver with Canada at the first-ever women’s Olympic hockey tournament at Nagano 1998, while also winning two World Championship gold medals in 1992 and 1994. 

Outside of her time with the national team, she became famous for being the first woman to play exhibition NHL preseason games, strapping on the pads for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992 and 1993. She also played most of her career in men’s leagues, including the ECHL and the defunct IHL, while also playing professional roller hockey in the RHI (Roller Hockey International). 

“I’m incredibly honored and excited to join the PWHL and help build something special in Detroit,” said Rhéaume in a press release. “This city has such a deep hockey tradition, and the passion for hockey here is truly special. The growth of women’s hockey has been incredible to watch, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help shape the future of the sport alongside the PWHL. I can’t wait to get started and build a team that Detroit fans will be proud of.”

While she will zone in on player and staff contracts through a restructured expansion process for the new teams, the focus will also be on the PWHL Draft, which Detroit will host at the Fox Theatre on June 17.