Brighton icon Shiann Darkangelo returns home to help 'make difference' in girls hockey
· Yahoo Sports
BRIGHTON - In its four-year existence, the PWHL Walter Cup has already started to exhibit its own quirky attitude even going missing for three days earlier in the year and today’s event in Brighton was a continuation of that as Walter didn’t make it to its own party.
Still the day was not diminished as Walter Cup champion with the Montreal Victorie, current PWHL Detroit forward and Brighton native Shiann Darkangelo was the main attraction for the youth that came out to the Athleta location in Brighton.
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In fact, at one point during the meet and greet, Shiann was apologizing to a young fan about not being able to have the Cup present and the little girl looked up and asked, “What Cup?” showing who the real star of the event was.
To be honest, that is what this event is about and how the PWHL is hoping grow the sport, youth. The league is as much about the young girls, burgeoning hockey players who look up to heroes like Shiann as it is about the on-ice product and it is something that she does not take lightly.
“It is such an honor, and sometimes you don’t even, it is so hard to take in, to think that because I looked up to the men’s players and the NHL and a little bit of of Angela Rijario with the national team but to be able to have a league and to do this for young kids and see how excited they are is really something that I don’t take for granted.”
“It is super special and super awesome and whatever I can do to make a difference I want to do that.”
During the event, you could see Shiann light up as friends, family and the young future of hockey came up to her to have a picture taken and to have sticks and shirts signed.
“It is awesome,” Shiann replied when asked about coming back to her roots in Brighton and Detroit. “I don’t think it has fully hit me yet that I am back in my own community and will be playing for my hometown it is really special and surreal.
“It is a full circle moment. A dream come true really to be able to play in Detroit and be back around everyone who helped me get to where I am at today.”
Shiann comes to Detroit via the PWHL expansion process which allowed the four new teams, Detroit, Las Vegas, Hamilton, and San Jose to sign unprotected players who were under contract with other existing teams.
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.
Looking back on her time in Montreal, Darkangelo obviously had nothing but positives.
“I mean Montreal will always have a special place in my heart. We won a championship there and we had a special bond with an awesome group to be able to do that this season.”
“Each year it is always tough to step away from a team and into a new team and every year, whether you are wearing the same sweater or not, the group is going to be a little different but I will miss those girls, we had a lot of fun and I learned a lot from a lot of different people.”
Coming off a championship season and into an expansion situation, even in a young league like the PWHL, there are bound to be some growing pains, but Shiann talked about what she would bring to Detroit from Montreal team.
“The comradery and putting the team before yourself,” she replied almost instantly. “I think everyone was able to do that in Montreal and that is why we were able to come with the championship.”
“It’s hard to do, it’s easier said than done but that is what needs to be done, it takes everyone, it takes a village to win a championship like that.”
PWHL Detroit will start their inaugural season in the fall of 2026 with training camp tentatively scheduled to open on November 18th, just 48 hours after the Gold Medal Game for the World Championships in Denmark according to Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News. Games are expected to begin within two weeks of that date.
Continuing in the established league tradition, sweaters for year one will be blazoned with "DETROIT" across the front with sweaters having the yet to be decided branding appearing for year two.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brighton icon Shiann Darkangelo returns home to help 'make difference' in girls hockey