Three-time Olympian Amanda Kessel has been promoted to manager of minor league operations and assistant general manager of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday.

Kessel, 32, spent the 2023-24 season as a special assistant to Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas. In her new role, she will assist Jason Spezza, who was promoted to assistant general manager, with all matters involving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and she will oversee the Penguins’ minor league affiliate in the ECHL.

“Amanda’s promotion is a reflection of the exceptional work that she’s done with us over the past year-plus as she continues to grow and develop professionally,” Dubas told The Athletic on Monday.

It’s a significant step for Kessel, who is following in the footsteps of other elite women’s hockey players — such as Canadian legend Hayley Wickenheiser and former Team USA captains Meghan Duggan and Cammi Granato — now working in NHL front offices. The promotion, however, also raises the question of whether Kessel’s playing career is done.

Congratulations to Amanda Kessel on her induction into the Club Hall of Fame Class of 2024!

: https://t.co/9P2HuWT0Wn pic.twitter.com/Nplu0g1lhz

— Minnesota Women’s…

Former Harvard women’s ice hockey coach Katey Stone sued the university for sex discrimination on Tuesday, alleging Harvard forced her to resign after reports of misconduct she said were false and that the university undervalues and underpays female coaches.

Stone, who retired in June 2023, announced the lawsuit in a news conference Tuesday afternoon alongside her legal team and former Harvard hockey players.

Stone coached at Harvard for 27 seasons but left her post amid an investigation into allegations of mistreatment of players, including insensitivity to mental health issues, downplaying injuries, leading derogatory chants directed at players and creating a climate where players were pitted against each other to curry favor with her. Multiple articles, including a March 2023 report in The Athletic, also reported hazing within her program. The Athletic detailed hazing and initiation rituals that involved forced alcohol consumption and sexualized skits and traditions, including an annual event that dates back decades called “naked skate.”

The lawsuit alleges that Harvard forced Stone out because of these misconduct allegations, which she called false, and described the school’s actions as “part and parcel of a larger culture at the University wherein female coaches…

By: Eric Duhatschek, Hailey Salvian, Max Bultman and Lukas Weese

On Tuesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame revealed the newest members that will be enshrined among the sport’s legends. Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber, Jeremy Roenick, Krissy Wendell-Pohl, Natalie Darwitz, Colin Campbell and David Poile make up the 2024 class to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this November.

Of the seven names, five were players and two were builders. It is the first time since 2010 that two women are being inducted into the same Hockey Hall of Fame class.

Datsyuk played 14 NHL seasons, all with the Detroit Red Wings. During his career, he recorded 314 goals and 604 assists. Nicknamed the “Magic Man,” Datsyuk will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Shea Weber played 16 years in the NHL, 11 with the Nashville Predators and five with the Montreal Canadiens. Playing 1,038 career games, Weber tallied 224 goals and 365 assists. Weber, a two-time first-team All-Star, won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014 along with world championship gold in 2007.

Jeremy Roenick played for 20 seasons in the NHL and was a member of five different teams. Drafted No. 8 in 1988, Roenick began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks (1988 to 1996), before…

Daryl Watts signed a two-year deal with PWHL Toronto, the team announced on Friday night.

Watts, 25, was the best player available when free agency opened on Friday at 8 a.m. ET. She played the inaugural season with Ottawa, led the team in goals (10) and finished third in points (17). During her end-of-year media availability, Watts was candid about testing the open market to “see what the best fit would be for next year.”

Watts — a Toronto native — is a highly skilled winger with elite vision and hands and an excellent shot. Last year, much of Toronto’s offense came from Natalie Spooner (20 goals) or Sarah Nurse (11 goals). Watts should give Toronto another dynamic scoring option at the top of the lineup.

Daryl Watts, folks pic.twitter.com/3QPShzTwi3

— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) May 6, 2024

“She is an incredible offensive threat that has proven herself in this league,” general manager Gina Kingsbury said in a press release. “We felt adding some offence to our roster was an important piece to the puzzle.”

Toronto makes a lot of sense as a landing spot for Watts, especially when we consider the 2026 Winter Olympics are less than two years away.

Watts has yet to crack the Canadian national women’s team and will now have an opportunity to showcase her game to…

Britta Curl, the ninth overall selection at the 2024 PWHL Draft, has apologized for the “hurt” caused by her social media activity.

Curl, a center from the University of Wisconsin, was chosen by PWHL Minnesota in the second round on Monday night in Saint Paul. Her selection was met with boos at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and drew criticism online from fans, some of whom threatened to boycott the team.

Curls’ social media activity stirred controversy in the weeks leading up to the draft. Her “likes” on X included posts promoting COVID-19 conspiracy theories, attacking inclusive language toward transgender women, and appearing to show support for Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people, and wounded a third, during unrest in Kenosha, Wis., in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

On Friday night, Curl released a video on X directly addressing PWHL fans and the controversy surrounding her social media activity.

Dear PWHL fans…
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/srLPAa9b8e

— Britta Curl (@brittacurl) June 15, 2024

“I specifically recognize that my social media activity has resulted in hurt being felt across communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and I just want to apologize and take ownership of that,” Curl said.

She added: “I do not and I’ve never held…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — New York selected Canadian forward Sarah Fillier with the No. 1 pick in the PWHL Draft on Monday night.

Fillier, 24, is widely considered to be the best player in the class of 2024 and was the No. 1 prospect on both editions of The Athletic’s PWHL draft ranking. She has already helped Canada win three world championships — and was named MVP of the tournament in 2023 — and an Olympic gold medal.

Fillier broke out in her freshman year at Princeton in 2018-19 when she led the NCAA with just under two points per game (1.97) as a teenager. At the 2021 World Championships in Calgary, she announced herself as the future of women’s hockey in Canada with her combination of speed, skill and poise with the puck.

Glad your birthday wish came true, Sarah Fillier!

Welcome to @PWHL_NewYork! pic.twitter.com/qLVJ6pAYZG

— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) June 10, 2024

“She’s a once-in-a-decade type player,” said Princeton coach Cara Morey after Fillier made her international debut. “She is a special talent.”

At Princeton, Fillier scored 93 goals and 194 points in 120 games, the third-highest point-per-game rate among players who played in the NCAA over the last six years. She won the 2019 national rookie of the year and was a three-time finalist for the Patty…

PWHL Minnesota general manager Natalie Darwitz is leaving the organization, team sources told The Athletic on Thursday night.

The news comes just eight days after the team won the PWHL’s first-ever Walter Cup championship and four days before Minnesota is set to host the 2024 Draft and first-ever PWHL Awards.

“It’s pretty shocking,” one team source said.

Darwitz, 40, was hired in September 2023 to lead Minnesota — which, like all PWHL teams, is owned by the league — heading into its inaugural season. According to a team source, Darwitz was told earlier this week she would not be back as general manager for the 2024-25 season and was offered alternative options within the league. The league also gave Darwitz the option of putting out a statement saying that she had chosen to move on, the team source said. She is not expected to be at the draft table for Minnesota on Monday night.

The PWHL would not confirm the news of Darwitz’s departure.

Darwitz is synonymous with women’s hockey in Minnesota. She grew up in Eagan, Minn., and won two NCAA championships with the University of Minnesota. She won three Olympic medals with Team USA and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. Darwitz was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in May, during Minnesota’s…

The 2024 PWHL Draft is less than one week away.

On Monday, June 10 — in St. Paul, Minn. — 42 of the best players will be selected across seven rounds. In all, 167 players from across the NCAA, SDHL, USports, the German women’s league, Russia and more have declared for the draft.

GO DEEPER

The PWHL’s first season is over. What worked, and what are the top priorities for Year 2?

Back in April, The Athletic ranked the top 30 players who could be drafted out of the NCAA. Now it’s time to look at the entire player pool with a top 50 ranking made up of 27 forwards (16 centers, 6 left wings, 5 right wings), 19 defenders (11 lefties, 8 righties) and four goalies.

The class of 2024 is still led by Princeton and Team Canada star forward Sarah Fillier, who has the kind of skill to make an immediate impact in the PWHL. After that, though, there are a ton of high-end forwards, defenders and goalies available.

Three-time Olympian Amanda Kessel declared for the draft after taking a year off to work with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Claire Thompson, the record-breaking Team Canada defender, is taking time off from medical school to play in the PWHL. Top European defenders such as Ronja Savolainen, Maja Nylén Persson and Daniela Pejšová being available alongside the top NCAA…

PWHL Toronto forward and Canadian women’s national team star Natalie Spooner will be “unavailable for the remainder of the season,” the team announced on Wednesday ahead of Game 4 of the semifinals.

Spooner suffered a knee injury during Game 3 of the series against Minnesota on Monday night. The incident occurred in the third period; Spooner took a hit along the boards, crawled off the ice and did not return to the game. There was no penalty called on the play.

Natalie Spooner went to the locker room after this pic.twitter.com/DP70rQbVy4

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 14, 2024

“It’s a big loss for us, obviously Natalie has been an important part of our success all year,” Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury said in a statement. “We have no doubt Natalie will continue to have an impact on our team, just in a different way.”

The 33-year-old led the PWHL in goals (20) and points (27) this season and is the favorite to win the league’s first MVP award. She scored the first goal of the PWHL Playoffs in Game 1 of the semifinals on May 5.

Losing Spooner is a massive blow to Toronto at the most important time of the year.

Spooner is the most dominant power forward in women’s hockey and has been a critical driver of Toronto’s offense. In the regular season, Spooner…

PWHL New York and coach Howie Draper have “mutually agreed to a coaching change” Saturday afternoon, one week after the team completed its last-place season. The New York franchise finished the PWHL’s inaugural season with the worst record, fewest wins (5) and most losses (12) in the league.

“I’ve been blessed to have been a part of PWHL New York this past season,” said Draper in a league press release. “It was an honor to have worked alongside this outstanding group of staff and athletes. I look forward to the opportunity to remain involved in the continuing growth of the program.”

Draper, 57, was hired in September after spending 26 seasons as coach of the University of Alberta women’s hockey team, where he amassed 667 wins and became the winningest coach in U Sports women’s hockey history.

According to the announcement, Draper will return to the Bears and Pandas program next season as coach and will stay involved with PWHL New York as a special advisor, supporting the scouting department.

This story will be updated.

(Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)