Sources: Klee, Coyne Schofield Lead Charge To Oust Darwitz

According to sources and reports, PWHL Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and head coach Ken Klee were the driving forces behind the removal of general manager Natalie Darwitz only a week after winning the PWHL's Walter Cup.

Only days after PWHL Minnesota won the PWHL's Walter Cup, the celebration all came crashing down for the woman who built it all, general manager Natalie Darwitz.

The reason? Sources have confirmed to The Hockey News, and reports have surfaced stating it was head coach Ken Klee and captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, who advocated to the league to have Darwitz removed as general manager despite constructing the PWHL's title team. Similar reports have also emerged from the State of Hockey including in Minnesota's Star Tribune. The Star Tribune reported a "clash" between Klee and Darwitz.

"According to league sources, Darwitz's departure comes after she clashed with coach Ken Klee, who has the support of several of the team's veterans, including captain Kendall Coyne Schofield," the Star Tribune's Rachel Blount wrote.

As reported by the Star Tribune, Klee had also interviewed to be PWHL Minnesota's general manager prior to the season.

The reasons behind this "clash," and Klee and Coyne Schofield's support for not bringing back Darwitz remain unknown. 

Coyne Schofield was one of Darwitz's first three signings along with Kelly Pannek and Lee Stecklein serving as the on ice foundation for the team, and Darwitz named Coyne Schofield team captain.

The ousting occurred just over a week after Minnesota celebrated their first ever Walter Cup, and exactly a week after the team brought that celebration back to Minnesota to greet fans at the Xcel Energy Center. 

Only days before Minnesota's championship, Darwitz was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame for her contributions to the game internationally. Darwitz captained Team USA, a role that would eventually fall to Kendall Coyne Schofield. Darwitz was an Olympic and World Championship All-Star winning multiple gold medals, and is a Minnesota hockey legend spending her career in the state, including winning multiple NCAA national championships with the University of Minnesota. Darwitz was also inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

According to multiple sources within the team, several members of PWHL Minnesota's organization were surprised and upset by Darwitz' dismissal. 

The Athletic, who originally broke the story on Darwitz's departure from PWHL Minnesota cited sources calling the move "shocking" and "a real shame."

Darwitz's dismissal from Minnesota comes only days before the PWHL Draft. According to sources, head coach Ken Klee will serve as acting general manager at the PWHL Draft with support at the draft table from Mira Jalosuo.

Klee was hired only days before the inaugural season began. That move was precipitated in the preseason following the departure of Minnesota's initial coaching choice Charlie Burggraf. While the official announcement stated Burggraf stepped down for personal reasons, sources say a similar situation developed within the organization where players requested his replacement.

Following Burggraf stepping away from the head coaching position, Coyne Schofield was reunited with her former coaching with the hiring of former Team USA head coach Ken Klee, who coached Team USA to back-to-back gold medals at the 2015 and 2016 World Championships. Coyne Schofield was a member of both of those teams while starring for Northeastern at the NCAA level.

The Hockey News reached out to the PWHL for comment, with a response pending at the time of press.