The PWHL named their six GMs - Danielle Marmer (Boston), Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota), Danièle Sauvageau (Montreal), Pascal Daoust (New York), Michael Hirshfeld (Ottawa), and Gina Kingsbury (Toronto).
The PWHL named their six GMs - Danielle Marmer (Boston), Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota), Danièle Sauvageau (Montreal), Pascal Daoust (New York), Michael Hirshfeld (Ottawa), and Gina Kingsbury (Toronto).
The PWHL has hired their six founding general managers to build rosters for the coming season, and guide their organizations into the future. Those GMs are Danielle Marmer (Boston), Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota), Danièle Sauvageau (Montreal), Pascal Daoust (New York), Michael Hirshfeld (Ottawa), and Gina Kingsbury (Toronto).
“Securing highly qualified General Managers was a priority to help build strong foundations in each of our original six PWHL markets and delivering professional standards for all players,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations in a league press release.
“The search process identified a lot of impressive candidates from which we’ve assembled an exceptional group with collective experience across the highest levels of the game both on and off the ice.”
The first action for general managers will come with the opening of the PWHL's free agency period at 1pm on September 1. Free agency will run for ten days, during which time teams will be able to sign three players. Following that, the September 18 draft is the next major roster building event for general managers.
GMs will also be responsible for hiring coaching staffs and other team personnel.
Toronto's new general manager Gina Kingsbury joins the PWHL having most recently worked as the vice president of hockey operations at Hockey Canada and general manager of Canada's women’s national team, a role she's held since 2018. Kingsbury herself is a former Olympic and World Championship gold medalist representing Canada as a player.
Danielle Marmer will stay in Boston after working as a player development and scouting assistant with the NHL's Boston Bruins last season. Prior to her role in the NHL, Marmer was Quinnipiac University's director of player development.
In Minnesota, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Natalie Darwitz is one of women's hockey's all-time greats. Darwitz spent the past two seasons serving as associate head coach at the University of Minnesota and was the long time head coach at the NCAA DIII level with Hamline University. Prior to joining the PWHL, Darwitz was slated to coach at Hill-Murray School in Minnesota this season. As a player, Darwitz captained Team USA at multiple World Championships and the 2010 Olympic Games. She has three World golds and won multiple NCAA titles. Darwitz also served as an evaluator for Team USA in 2022.
Pascal Daoust will guide the New York franchise after serving as the general manager for the QMJHL's Val-d'Or Foreurs from 2016 to 2023. Prior to the QMJHL, Daoust was a coach at the USports level with the University of Montreal, helping the program win two national championships.
Sauvageau, who will build the Montreal franchise, is a former coach for Canada’s national team, guiding the program to Olympic gold in 2002, and founding the University of Montreal's women's hockey program. Last season, Sauvageau worked with the PWHPA guiding Team Harvey's.
Finally, Michael Hirshfeld is set to lead Ottawa's PWHL club after spending the past seven years as the executive director of the NHL Coaches' Association.