PWHL Ottawa general manager Mike Hirshfeld likes building things, which now includes a professional hockey team. While Ottawa has had their ups and downs, Hirshfeld is building something bigger, something that will last.
PWHL Ottawa general manager Mike Hirshfeld likes building things, which now includes a professional hockey team. While Ottawa has had their ups and downs, Hirshfeld is building something bigger, something that will last.
Imagine you were playing NHL 24 in GM mode and were given the opportunity to build a team from scratch. Well, for Mike Hirshfeld that was real life when he was given the enviable task of putting together PWHL Ottawa.
“I like to build things,” said Hirshfeld in a recent interview with The Hockey News.
So far, PWHL Ottawa has been a mixed success, currently outside a playoff spot. On the bright side—on the much brighter side—the team regularly fills the stands at TD Place with cheering crowds that put Senators’ fans to shame with their unbridled enthusiasm.
“I don't think we ever anticipated growing this quickly. The response has just been overwhelming to be honest with you," said Hirshfeld.
“We did the season ticket holder event the other night and they love us, win or lose, which is great.”
Despite the losses, on the ice Hirshfeld is adamant that he wants to bring a winner to the fans in Ottawa.
“We want to win a championship, but this to me is much bigger than that,” said Hirshfeld. “This is about setting up an organization that is the envy of the league. It's setting up an organization that has a foothold in this market. “
A lawyer by trade, Hirshfeld isn’t new to hockey. His previous job was as head of the NHL Coaches’ Association, which he ran from 2016 to 2023.
When he was approached by Jayna Hefford, the PWHL's senior vice president of hockey operations about the role of GM in Ottawa, he jumped at it.
“The chance to do it at this level will help these athletes build a league that would be around for years to come was really exciting for me.”
From the start, the pace was frenetic. He had to draft players, sign players, and hire a coaching staff. Free agency started three days after he signed on.
“It was more than just getting the best players,” said Hirshfeld. “It was making sure we had the right players, right personalities. We wanted to build a culture. We wanted people to come to Ottawa and so we really targeted great players, but also great people.”
He signed Team Canada forwards Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark, and goalie Emerance Maschmeyer as the three stalwarts of the team. All three of them have won gold medals for Canada, Jenner, 32, a hard nose checker, has been a staple of Team Canada for the last three Olympic cycles. Clark, 28, has been a great forechecker and penalty killer who can slip in some finesse. Meanwhile, Maschmeyer has been the backup goalie for Canada for the last few years, a dynamo shot-stopper, who uses her anticipation and athleticism to get in front of pucks with her small frame.
“They were the ones that we had full faith in how they’d helped us build this foundation and the culture that we wanted,” said Hirshfeld.
His next order of business was to find a coach. He leaned on his experience with the coaches’ association.
“I came from the coaching world, right? So, I've seen the years and I've seen what's good and what's bad,” said Hirshfeld. “And to me, just talking to NHL guys, they'll tell you, today's athletes are the most inquisitive they've ever seen; in a good way. They just want to know why they're doing things.”
He hired Carla MacLeod, a former Team Canada player who now coaches the Czechia national team. MacLeod is a charismatic, ultra-positive communicator.
“She's really great at explaining…what we're trying to do and what we're trying to accomplish and so once I talked to her, I knew that she was the right one for us,” said Hirshfeld.
Off-ice, Hirshfeld zeroed in on hiring the best behind-the-scenes personnel including the team’s medical staff, chiropractor, nutritionist and conditioning coach.
“We continue to say we want to be best in class,” he said. “We want to not just be the best team in this league, but we want to be one of the best franchises in women's professional sports.”
In the September draft, in his first month on the job, Hirshfeld targeted defenders, as he believed it was the weakest part of the draft. Ottawa’s first three selections were all blueliners: Savannah Harmon, Ashton Bell and Jincy Roese.
“It was a fun day. I don't think it was crazy. I think we were so well prepared that it was actually relatively simple.”
At the same time, Hirshfeld wanted to play the long game when it came to his team to build a sustainable and consistent team.
“We approach the draft as a three-year process,” said Hirshfeld.
“We're not playing in a small tournament where it's six or seven games like at the World Championships. This is a three-year process. The player that we draft on day one isn't necessarily the same player six months from now. We were conscious about getting younger players who had room to grow.”
One draft pick he considers a steal was Lexie Adzija, drafted in the 11th round by Ottawa. She has been a star on and off the ice. Adzija is tied for fourth in rookie scoring with her teammate Gabbie Hughes. Meanwhile, off the ice Adzija has a large Instagram and TikTok following where she details her life and her game day outfits.
Hirshfeld went to see Adzija play at the Hockey Canada showcase and he thought she displayed speed and power.
“I talked to her coach at college. And they just said like, your team will love her. The other team will hate her,” said Hirshfeld.
As confident as Hirshfeld is about the team he has assembled and his team’s future, he does recognize that his team has not been good enough.
“Obviously we want to win but there's way more to it than that, “ said Hirshfeld. “And the results, I am convinced they’ll come. We have a good team. I think we have the best coaching staff in the league…We’re doing things the right way and it will pay off.”
“It's about setting up an organization that people will look at us and look at our players as role models, kids and adults alike.”
When asked what it would mean to bring a PWHL championship to Ottawa.
“It would mean everything,” says Hirshfeld.