DETROIT, MI (June 14, 2026) – PWHL Detroit today announced that forward Shiann Darkangelo of Brighton, MI, has been signed to a two-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. Darkangelo joins PWHL Detroit with a contract through the 2027-28 campaign and becomes the team’s eighth player and first of three to be added during Phase 4 of the PWHL’s Expansion Player Distribution Process.
Darkangelo is a three-year PWHL veteran who returns home after winning a Walter Cup title as a member of the Montréal Victoire in 2025-26, where she was under contract through 2026-27. The 32-year-old notched eight points (4G, 4A) in 30 regular-season games while leading the team in faceoff wins (career-high 213) and total faceoffs (career-high 408), then added one goal in nine postseason appearances. She recorded the primary assist on the Victoire’s winning goal in a 3-1 triumph over New York on Mar. 28 in Detroit, and previously competed in the first-ever PWHL game at Little Caesars Arena as a member of Boston on Mar. 16, 2024. Her best offensive season was 2024-25 with 17 points (8G, 9A) in 29 games with Ottawa, which also included a trip to the 2025 PWHL Walter Cup Finals, and for her career has amassed 26 points (12G, 14A) in 83 regular-season games. A product of Detroit’s Little Caesars program, Darkangelo attended Syracuse and Quinnipiac University for her collegiate career, then won two Isobel Cup titles with the PHF’s Buffalo Beauts (2017) and as captain of the Toronto Six (2023) as a professional prior to the PWHL. Internationally, Darkangelo won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
On PWHL Detroit, Darkangelo joins fellow Michigander Taylor Girard (Macomb), who signed a two-year contract during Phase 3 of the expansion process, and a forward group that also includes the Phase 2 acquisitions of Hannah Bilka, Jesse Compher, Britta Curl-Salemme, and Daryl Watts, her former teammate in Ottawa and Toronto (PHF). Detroit’s defense currently lists Phase 2 signee Cayla Barnes, and Phase 3 signee Sydney Bard.
At the end of the Phase 4 signing period on Monday, each expansion team will have 10 total players through signings and, if necessary, a player selection process. Players eligible to be signed in Phase 4 are those not signed or protected in Phases 1-3, including players on expiring contracts and players under contract for 2026-27. Existing teams can lose a maximum of four players who are under contract for the 2026-27 season in Phases 1-4.
A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official PWHL Transactions Page. To see the full overview of the status of PWHL player contracts, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here.
ABOUT PWHL DETROIT
PWHL Detroit is one of 12 teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which was founded in 2023. The PWHL began its inaugural season in January 2024 and features the best women’s hockey players in the world. PWHL Detroit was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 6 and will debut at Little Caesars Arena in the fall. Fans can place a time-stamped deposit here, opens in a new tab to secure priority access to season tickets for PWHL Detroit’s historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit DetroitPWHL.com, subscribe to the newsletter here, opens in a new tab and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, and Bluesky @PWHL--Detroit, opens in a new tab.
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