The Seattle Torrent: PWHL’s Newest Identity Flows into the Pacific Northwest

Seattle’s PWHL team officially has a name. In a packed room at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) on Thursday, Nov. 6, dozens of media members, city leaders, and season ticket holders gathered as the team revealed its identity: the Seattle Torrent. The announcement, set against visuals of rain, waterways, and Mount Rainier, was narrated by Hilary Knight and introduced the team’s new tagline: “Forged by nature, unstoppable by will.”

The reveal completed a moment months in the making, even if fans got an early glimpse. Screenshots of the team’s website leaked two days earlier, shared by local outlet Emerald City Hockey, sparking discussion across social media. The leak didn’t dull the atmosphere at MoPOP. Dozens of fans in Kraken and PWHL merchandise crowded together, phones raised, as the new logo appeared on screen.

Seattle’s mark, a stylized “S” flowing like a river current, mirrors the region’s natural rhythm. The color palette — Slate Green, Glacier and River Blue, Foam, Haze Grey, and Basalt Black — anchors the team visually to the Pacific Northwest’s waterways and terrain.

For the players, the reveal gave tangible form to months of anticipation.

"I thought it fit perfectly with the area and really encapsulated all the waterways, all the rain you get here," goaltender Corinne Schroeder said. "It’s fitting, but it’s also fitting in a sense, that’s what we want to be. We want to be relentless, we want to be unpredictable, we want to really be a powerhouse.”

Forward Jenna Buglioni echoed that pride. “We are very, very proud,” she said. “You see the logo with the flowing water — unstoppable, unpredictable, relentless. I love that. It really speaks to the city. We’re excited to wear that and show up for you guys and have an actual logo for you to have.”

The league officially awarded Seattle an expansion franchise on April 30, 2025, the first West Coast addition alongside Vancouver. The Torrent will play home games at Climate Pledge Arena and practice at the Kraken Community Iceplex, integrating the team into Seattle’s existing hockey infrastructure.

“Yeah, this is amazing,” said general manager Meghan Turner, looking out at the crowd. “To think about a year ago, you were just announcing expansion — six, seven months ago Seattle didn’t even have players. You guys showed up. And clearly you’re showing up here, and we’re ready to go.”

For Turner and head coach Steve O’Rourke, the Torrent’s identity is more than what’s on the jersey. “We’re looking to be a positive force on the ice and in the community,” O’Rourke said. “It starts with the coaching staff connecting to our players, our players connecting to each other. When you start to see that force come together, it’s going to be on the ice. Our fans are going to feel that force, and we’re going to put that force into the community as well as we grow this great franchise.”

That sense of community already resonates deeply within the incoming players.

“You guys have embraced us really well so far," Buglioni said. "The response has just been amazing. To continue that and to create a place where you feel welcomed and a part of our team is really important. When you see all the other female sports teams here, the passion’s there — so I hope that we have just as much passion for our team.”

Schroeder, too, felt the connection across Seattle’s sports landscape. “Seattle’s a huge sports city,” she said, “but it’s also huge for women’s sports, and the Seattle Storm have done a great job building that community.”

The brand reveal also clarified a detail fans had speculated about: although the name and imagery are now public, Seattle will not wear the Torrent logo on the ice until the 2026 season. The PWHL has final authority over team branding and uniforms, meaning Seattle’s new identity will live in the community and on merchandise this year before hitting the ice next fall.

The Torrent will open the season on the road in Vancouver against the newly minted Goldeneyes, a matchup that instantly adds regional intrigue. O’Rourke didn’t shy away from the competitive spark. “We came in together, we will be judged together.”

More than 150 fans have reportedly committed to traveling to Vancouver for that inaugural game. “It’s going to be amazing to have the fans go up there,” O’Rourke said. “To have our 150 fans come into that building and show our force in their building in the first game is going to be outstanding.”

Back in Seattle, fan response has already exceeded early projections. “Fan support has meant everything to us,” Turner said. “Before we even had a name, players, or a team, Seattle was mobilized and ready for us. You all mean everything to us as staff, as an organization, and as a league. If the Takeover Tour was any indication, Climate Pledge is going to be buzzing.”

Turner connected the team’s new identity directly to the city’s energy. “We want teams to come into Climate Pledge and feel it — be a little nervous about stepping on the ice with us,” she said. “It’s an active fan base. It’s an active team. We’re going to make opponents feel that as soon as we step on the ice.”