Natalie Darwitz named general manager of new Minnesota women's professional hockey team
MINNEAPOLIS — Olympian and former Gopher hockey player Natalie Darwitz will serve as the general manager of the new Minnesota women's professional hockey team.
Minnesota was one of six cities chosen to represent the Professional Women's Hockey League, which will begin its inaugural season in January of 2024. The league has backing from Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, among others.
The 24-game season will feature match-ups against teams in Boston, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto.
RELATED: New women's pro hockey league provides sneak peak on its 6 markets, including Minnesota
On Friday, the league announced that Darwitz will guide the Minnesota franchise. She has expertise and has medaled at multiple levels of the sport - from her time as a NCAA champion at Minnesota to winning three IIHF World Championships and three Olympic medals.
Darwitz, from Eagan, is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and spent two seasons as the associate head coach at Minnesota.
"Minnesota is the state of hockey. With a rich tradition of excellence and love for the game. Not only that, we have the best fans in the country," Darwitz said. "Join us as we set out to bring championships to the state of Minnesota."
The draft starts on Sept. 18. Minnesota will have first pick.
