The much-anticipated names and logos for the six original franchises of the Professional Women’s Hockey League have finally been revealed, just in time for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The teams have been officially named as follows: the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montréal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, and Toronto Sceptres.
Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the PWHL’s vice president of brand and marketing and the driving force behind the project, expressed her pride in the outcome, stating, “From where we started with this massive pool of names that was generated and to where we are today, I feel so proud of every single one of these team names and identities. We’ve ended up in a spot where we just couldn’t be more thrilled.”
The team names were carefully selected to be “inspired by the fans, players, and cities in which the teams play,” as stated in a recent press release. In the inaugural season, temporary jerseys with a basic design were used for all teams, displaying the city or state name diagonally across the front. While this lack of nicknames and logos caused some initial concern among fans, league executives stressed the importance of not rushing the branding process.
“We didn’t want to pressure fans like, ‘Oh my god, Boston’s not green anymore,’” explained PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer. “You can still have green merch.”
Upon joining the league in November 2023, Bhatt-Shah wasted no time in collaborating with the creative agency Flower Shop to develop the new names and branding. Fans were actively engaged in the naming process, with Bhatt-Shah emphasizing, “We considered all of them.” The goal was to create team names that would resonate with local communities and align with traditional North American sports leagues.
Extensive research was conducted in each market to ensure that the names would be well-received by fans, players, and community members alike. The league took a strategic and thoughtful approach from start to finish, carefully considering various factors in the name selection process.
As Bhatt-Shah explained, “We really wanted to be deliberate and thoughtful and strategic about the process from beginning to end.” The league wanted to avoid choosing names that were already in use, such as “Minnesota Reign,” which bore similarities to an existing NHL team affiliate.
Brian Jennings, the NHL’s executive vice president of marketing, cautioned against simply picking a name without considering potential conflicts. In an interview with The Athletic back in November 2023, he highlighted the importance of avoiding consumer confusion and navigating the trademark process.
Overall, the unveiling of the team names and logos marks a significant milestone for the PWHL as it gears up for an exciting inaugural season. Fans, players, and communities can look forward to embracing their respective teams and identities as the league moves towards its highly anticipated debut.
