Natalie Darwitz would have been running PWHL Minnesota's draft table for the 2024 PWHL Draft. But after her removal from the organization, there are certainly questions about how prepared Minnesota will be.
Natalie Darwitz would have been running PWHL Minnesota's draft table for the 2024 PWHL Draft. But after her removal from the organization, there are certainly questions about how prepared Minnesota will be.
There's no telling how PWHL Minnesota's draft board will be run at the 2024 PWHL Draft. Since the PWHL is a single entity group, the league could step in and dictate selections, or it could be up to Ken Klee and his team, as reports from Minnesota's Star Tribune stated Klee would be acting general manager at the draft.
Prior to Darwitz's dismissal, Darwitz and PWHL Minnesota's head scout Winny Brodt-Brown were heading up draft plans. It's unclear how Darwitz's departure will impact other staff in the organization, including Brodt-Brown, but the timing of the firing, coming only days before the PWHL Draft, is certainly not ideal for the organization in terms of making informed decisions on prospects.
According to a member of Minnesota's staff this season, however, head coach Ken Klee, captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, and assistant coach Mira Jalosuo, have been discussing draft plans for several weeks. With Klee and Jalosuo expected to run PWHL Minnesota's table at the draft, the team will likely enter the draft with a plan, albeit not the plan staff who were responsible for the draft had been working on over the last few months.
PWHL Minnesota will host the 2024 draft, and is set to pick third overall after finishing fourth in the PWHL's regular season standings.
With Sarah Fillier the projected first overall pick, and another forward likely to go second overall to Ottawa, it was expected PWHL Minnesota was set to select Ohio State and Team USA defender Cayla Barnes at third. The team was high on Barnes all season long, and the team was seeking a defender who could more effectively transition pucks up ice, and could also eat significant defensive minutes. Minnesota entered the inaugural season with only three defenders in their organization, and traded Susanna Tapani to Boston early in the season in exchange for Sophie Jaques to begin solidifying the position.
If a significant change has occurred behind the scenes, however, it's not out of the question that league staff who identified top prospects prior to the draft could be prepared to assist Minnesota as they transition to a new staff. And it's certainly no longer assumed that Barnes is Minnesota's targeted pick.
From a full season of planning, to a last minute dash, the timeline for draft preparation certainly won't benefit PWHL Minnesota heading into the 2024 draft, and the organizational insecurity and culture could make prospects and free agents wary of being selected by, or choosing to accept invitations to the team after the draft.
Minnesota picked playoff MVP Taylor Heise first overall last year, followed by starting goaltender Nicole Hensley, and rookie of the year finalist Grace Zumwinkle with their first three selections.