PWHL Minnesota names Melissa Caruso as GM, replacing Natalie Darwitz

PWHL Minnesota on Tuesday hired Melissa Caruso as general manager to replace fired Natalie Darwitz.

Caruso worked 15 years in the American Hockey League, where she was vice president of hockey operation and governance since 2019. A St. Paul resident, she oversaw off-ice aspects of the league’s day-to-day operations, including building the 32-team league’s schedule, handled bylaws, regulations and player eligibility.

PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford in a statement called Caruso the “ideal candidate” and praised Caruso’s background in operations and governance, hockey knowledge, leadership and local ties.

A three-time Olympic medalist and member of both the U.S. Hockey and International Ice Hockey halls of fame, Darwitz built the Minnesota team into a Walter Cup league champion in her and the league’s only season.

She was fired in June after she clashed with coach Ken Klee, who had the support of several team veterans, the Star Tribune reported at the time, citing league sources. Hefford in June said the league examined the situation for months and said it was “pretty direct and pretty clear there wasn’t a path forward” without a change in general manager.

Klee acted as general manager in the PWHL June draft held in St. Paul.

Caruso in the statement thanked league leadership for trusting her to lead the Minnesota team “during these crucial formative years for the league.”

Caruso graduated with a degree in sports management from Springfield College in 2009, immediately joined the AHL and worked her way up during the next 15 years. AHL President Scott Howson told the Associated Press that Caruso is both a general manager and someone who has helped run a league all these years.

“They’re in the infancy of their league and she’ll bring a lot of institutional knowledge, ideas, processes and procedures to the league,” Howson said. “She’ll be a resource for the league and then obviously will help at the club level as well.”