Candidates To Serve As The PWHL's First Commissioner

The PWHL can't continue without a commissioner. Here's a look at candidates for the position.

Only a few months ago, there was the PHF and PWHPA. One was led by a commissioner, the PHF's Reagan Carey, and the other was guided by a lead consultant, Jayna Hefford.

Now, with the two previous groups dissolved, and the new PHWL being launched, a league is on its way, but without a commissioner at the helm. Instead, Hefford, with the title of senior vice president of hockey operations is for the time bring running the show alongside a small group of front office staffers.  When the PWHL launches in January, they'll be the only league in professional North American sport without a commissioner.

In the sprint toward launch, there have been a series of missteps and missed opportunities, and questionable decisions by the PWHL, which makes the choice to move forward without a commissioner all the more confounding. It's unlikely to be permanent, but the league has confirmed they have no intent to fill the role before puck drop. With all assets of the PHF, including infrastructure and logistical structure abandoned, the PWHL was left with a blank slate to launch a league, aside from the PWHPA's collective bargaining agreement and new ownership. As witnessed by players however, some conditions, albeit now enshrined in a CBA, have devolved from what has been provided the past two seasons. Other issues, including incomplete player contracts when the league started announcing "signings," managing derision toward PHF players from the PWHPA board, lack of media communications, restricting agents for lower paid players, confusion regarding the league's compassionate circumstances rules, and the public relations nightmare that ensued following the leak of PWHL names, were a handful of items a commissioner could have helped prevent.

Meanwhile, team staffs have undergone almost heroic efforts to get their own markets in order, conducting preparations general managers and coaches in other leagues would never be tasked with.

A commissioner with a big picture vision will be crucial in steering the PWHL toward long term success once hired. That commissioner will be responsible for capitalizing on the unprecedented current opportunities that exist in North American professional women's sport, that has the PWHL primed for success. They'll also be responsible for repairing bridges and rebuilding fan bases lost or damaged in this process.

With the future in mind, there are many candidates who could be considered from inside and outside the hockey world to take over the role of commissioner, including those who bring a combination of hockey and business knowledge.

Reagan Carey - Let's begin with the most obvious of all, Reagan Carey. The belief in the hockey world is that members of the PWHPA wanted Reagan Carey out of the new league, and it's the only reason she's not guiding this ship. When the PHF was acquired, staff were told they'd be working in similar roles within the new league, but somewhere, that quickly changed for Carey who was relegated to a role as an advisor to the board.  The problem is, Reagan Carey was the absolute best candidate for this job, and if bridges can be mended, she still is. This league would not be in existence without Carey, and the rapid improvement she fostered in the PHF drove this amalgamation forward. Carey was integral in bringing in higher salaries, better exposure, health benefits and insurance coverage, improving infrastructure, and much more, and her expertise would be welcomed given some of the avoidable stumbles from the PWHL early. In her time with the PHF, she knew when to push forward and when to pull back, and if the PWHL is looking for an experienced hand who has dealt with all aspects of this role, Carey fits the bill. Will she be given the chance? Almost certainly not, and whatever the root of that issue is, is what ownership needs to root out of the league to ensure long term stability and success.

Angela Ruggiero - Angela Ruggiero is a Hockey Hall of Fame and IIHF Hall of Fame member. She has played men’s and women’s professional hockey, and has Olympic and World Championship gold to her name. Those are not her main credentials that would place her as a top candidate in this, but her wealth of knowledge of the struggles women have faced in the hockey world in recent decades, as well as the successes women have celebrated, would be welcomed. Off the ice, Ruggiero has a master’s in sport management from the University of Minnesota and is a graduate of Harvard Business School. She is the founder and CEO of Sports Innovation Lab, a businesses that has thoroughly researched how to expand business partnerships in women's sport and grow an engaged fan base. That alone sounds like a match made in heaven. Adding to it, Ruggiero has crucial experience in dealing with planning and lobbying for community and government involvement in preparation for major sporting developments as she served as an International Olympic Committee Board Member and was integral in Los Angeles’ successful bid for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Hayley Moore - The PWHL already tried to hire Hayley Moore as one of the league's six general managers, recruiting her for a position, a role she turned down. The league's interest in Moore however, could resurface when discussion of this role begins. Holding a degree from Brown University, where she starred as a player, Moore is currently the vice president of hockey operations for the American Hockey League (AHL). Moore was the general manager of the PHF's Boston Pride in their inaugural season, and later served as the PHF’s (then NWHL) Deputy Commissioner, and team president for the Pride. Moore also has coaching experience, winning an Ivy League title as an assistant with Harvard. Her unique experience in both hockey operations and as a commissioner, and the fact that the PWHL has already expressed she's a person they would trust in a leadership role in the league, makes her a prime candidate. Her knowledge of the sport itself as a player and coach would also be valuable in terms of on-ice decisions.

Lisette Johnson-Stapley - The PWHL has shown a penchant for bringing back those previously involved in the CWHL and PWHPA to serve in roles with the new league, making Johnson-Stapley a name to watch. She spent only one season working with the CWHL in 2013, but has since served in a plethora of leadership roles including planning for events including the 2015 FIFA women's World Cup and on the organizing committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver. Johnson-Stapley has also worked with Own the Podium, the Canadian Mission Team, Ontario Volleyball, Softball Canada, and with a number of private sector corporations. Simply put, she has a wide array of expertise. Johnson-Stapley is currently the Chief Sport Officer of USports, a league the PWHL has tapped multiple times for coaching roles.

Other names to consider: Heidi Browning, Jaime Faulkner, Jennifer Botterill