Hefford: “There wasn’t a path forward” with Darwitz as PWHL Minnesota GM

The story continues to be bizarre, confusing and frustrating to some.

During a Zoom interview with select members of the media on Saturday, PWHL vice president of hockey operations, Jayna Hefford, explained what led to Natalie Darwitz being ousted as Minnesota’s general manager.

Daily Faceoff’s reporters were not invited onto the call.

According to a report from The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian, Hefford and the league conducted interviews with each of the six franchises during the inaugural 2024 season to make sure there was a level of professionalism. Though she would not go into specifics about what went into what was going on in Minnesota, Hefford said a change was necessary.

“For organizations to be successful,” Hefford said. “Operations need to run relatively smoothly. The high standards of this league need to exist. And as a leader, often those things fall on you…Over the course of these reviews and the work we did throughout the season, it just became very clear from different parties that this wasn’t going to be able to move forward as it stood.”

After days of reporting and speculation, the PWHL finally revealed that Minnesota and Darwitz parted ways. The Athletic broke the news late Thursday that Darwitz was told she would not be returning to the team as GM for the 2024-25 campaign.

Hefford told the media on Saturday that the league had conducted a review of Minnesota and brought in an external consulting firm. Discussions were held with players, staff, and league-level support.

“The feedback to us was pretty direct,” Hefford said. “Pretty clear that there wasn’t a path forward with the current personnel in place.”

There have been reports of a “clash” between Darwitz and head coach Ken Klee, but nothing has been confirmed by the league or the team’s players. Hefford stated that Darwitz’s departure did not stem from an altercation or any rifts with players.

“It didn’t come down to one person or two people or three people. “It was a long process, and a really deep dive into what was going on in the market. There’s a ton of factors that play into a really big decision like this. And it wasn’t easy.”

A team source confirmed to Daily Faceoff that the PWHL, not Minnesota or Darwitz, made this decision and that many team workers are shocked by the events. DFO reached out to league representatives for comment, but there has been no response.

Per Salvian’s latest report, a Minnesota player was shocked to hear the news about Darwitz leaving the team, saying that the former Olympian was an “incredible support system.”

Ian Kennedy from The Hockey News reported late Friday night that the PWHL’s decision stemmed from within the team. As head coach Ken Klee and captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, and other reported veterans, advocated for Darwitz’s removal. According to Kennedy, a similar situation occurred before the season when Minnesota’s original head coach, Charlie Burgraff, presumably stepped away from the job for “personal reasons.” However, players allegedly pushed for the move in order to get Klee on the team.

Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein and Kelly Pannek, the three players Darwitz originally signed as free agents, were among the members of the U.S. National Team that played under Klee when the team won gold at the 2015 and 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championships.

Klee was one of the final candidates for the Minnesota GM job before Darwitz was hired. Klee will not be named the interim general manager despite now taking charge of the team’s strategy for Monday night’s draft. The league is currently conducting a search for a new general manager to take on the role. Hefford mentioned the plan is to have a new general manager in place prior to free agency opening on June 21.

All of this chaos started making waves just over a week after Minnesota went on a Cinderella run to win the first-ever Walter Cup, defeating Boston in five games in the PWHL Final. With the PWHL Draft looming, Hefford admitted the timing wasn’t perfect.

“Timing is never perfect,” Hefford said. “This team accomplished an incredible feat by winning a championship…This was a decision that had to be made in the best interest of the league and the team.”

The PWHL Draft is scheduled for Monday, June 10, at 7 p.m. ET, at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium…in St. Paul.