From Teammates To General Manager And Coach: The Full-Circle Connection In PWHL Las Vegas

From college teammates to shaping a new franchise together, Dominique DiDia and Kim Weiss start a new chapter together, this time in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"My first thought was Kim and reaching out to her and building this team with her ... we've been in lockstep every step of the way," said DiDia

PWHL Las Vegas' Dominque DiDia and Kim Weiss are starting their journey in what is a full circle moment for the two.

Their journey started back in college, as they were former teammates playing together at Trinity College. There, the duo played NCAA Division III hockey as teammates for the Trinity College Bantams.

Fast forward to the present, and they are now working together on a brand new franchise in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, leading the newest expansion team, PWHL Las Vegas.

“We were teammates. We met each other when I was a freshman. She was a sophomore at Trinity and when I got there as a freshman, she was already a captain as a sophomore," said Dominique DiDia. She touted Weiss' leadership as a more senior student-athlete at the time.

“Her leadership has been a part of my life since I was 18 years old. So knowing someone like her since I was a teenager and watching her grow," DiDia added.

Since college, the two have been going in their own separate directions but have still been keeping tabs on what the other is doing.

DiDia went to work for the Los Angeles Kings and became a player agent, and Kim Weiss went into coaching and most recently was an assistant coach for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL.

“Throughout her coaching journey, we've been in touch, of course, but we haven't been in the same state, in the same city since we were in college,” DiDia said

Kim Weiss also spoke about her excitement to join DiDia in Las Vegas and talked about DiDia as a leader and now a general manager.

"So when Dominique called me and offered me the opportunity, I know her character. I know who she is when things go well, but I know who she is when things don't go well, which sometimes happens in pro sports," said Weiss. "And so for me, it was a no brainer to jump on the strike with her.“

Weiss also talked about being in Las Vegas and some of the memories from when she was coaching the Colorado Eagles in the AHL Playoffs and they were playing the Henderson Silver Knights.

"Ironically, we drove past the Courtyard Marriott that I was staying in with the Colorado Eagles when we were having conversations," Weiss recalls.

Time will tell how PWHL Las Vegas' inaugural campaign unfolds, but it’s a full circle moment for Dominique DiDia and Kim Weiss as they embark on this new journey together.