When Detroit's new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) team takes the ice, they'll be backed by one of the most influential figures in global sports. Meet Mark Walter—the billionaire CEO whose portfolio reads like a dream roster of professional athletics.
With a net worth of approximately $11.3 billion, the 66-year-old Iowa native isn't just the owner of Detroit's newest franchise; he owns every PWHL team under the league's unique single-ownership model. That's right—the entire league answers to one man, and that man is Mark Walter.
Walter's sports empire extends far beyond the rink. He made headlines last year by acquiring a majority stake in the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers at a staggering $10 billion valuation. His influence also reaches across the Atlantic with minority stakes in Chelsea FC, and he has investments in the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and Cadillac's Formula 1 team. To round it out, his company Guggenheim Partners—a global investment firm managing $362 billion in assets—also holds ownership of baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers.
As CEO of both Guggenheim Partners and holding company TWG Global, Walter has built a reputation as a quiet but powerful force in sports ownership. His business acumen is matched by his academic credentials: a bachelor's degree from Creighton University and a juris doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law.
So what does this mean for Detroit? The Motor City will host the 2026 PWHL awards ceremony on June 16, followed by the 2026 PWHL Draft on June 17 at the historic Fox Theatre—a ticketed event open to fans. It's a major milestone for a league that only launched on January 1, 2024, with an abbreviated inaugural season that spring.
The PWHL's original six teams—Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montréal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, and Toronto Sceptres—have already been joined by Pacific Northwest expansion clubs Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes. The Minnesota Frost currently reign as two-time defending champions, having won back-to-back Walter Cup Playoffs.
When asked about the timeline for transitioning to individual team ownership, PWHL executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer told reporters there's "no timeline for that." For now, Mark Walter remains the singular force driving women's professional hockey forward—and Detroit fans can expect nothing less than a championship-caliber operation backed by one of sports' deepest pockets.