Emily Engel-Natzke joins Capitals as video co-ordinator, becomes first woman to work full-time on an NHL coaching staff

The Washington Capitals have promoted Emily Engel-Natzke to become their new video co-ordinator, the club announced Thursday.

Engel-Natzke, 31, becomes the first woman to work full-time on a National Hockey League coaching staff. The former Adrian College goaltender spent the last two seasons as the video coach for the Hershey Bears, the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate.

After retiring as a player, Engel-Natzke worked with the University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s teams as a video coach and, later, as assistant director of hockey operations for the men’s team. She worked for the Badgers from 2015 to 2020.

Engel-Natzke joined the Bears in 2020 and was responsible for producing scouting reports and both in-game and post-game video breakdowns.

“We are extremely pleased to name Emily as our new video co-ordinator,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said Thursday. “Emily’s work ethic, skill set, and passion were displayed in her tenure with the Hershey Bears, and we feel she is ready and deserving of this opportunity. She will be a tremendous asset to our coaching staff.”

Engel-Natzke has also worked with USA Hockey as a video coach on multiple occasions, most recently with the senior women’s team at the 2019 World Championship in Espoo, Finland.