Report: Darwitz’s removal from PWHL Minnesota came from push by coach Klee, Coyne Schofield

In a shocking decision, a championship team is looking for a new head to its hockey operations just after winning a championship.

According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Hailey Salvian, Natalie Darwitz is no longer the general manager of PWHL Minnesota.

The news came just eight days after Minnesota defeated Boston in Game 5 of the PWHL Final to win the first-ever Walter Cup, and only four days from the league’s annual draft.

Russo put out on X that a team source responded to the news by saying, “[Darwitz] treats her staff like gold. People are shocked, pissed and sad.”

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

Per the report, Darwitz was told she would not be back for Season 2 as the team’s GM. The Eagan native was also offered the opportunity to put out a statement saying that she has elected to move on from her post, with her being offered alternative options within the league.

The story didn’t stop there. 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 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.

Klee coached Coyne Schofield and the United States to back-to-back IIHF Wormen’s World Championship gold medals in 2015 and 2016.

Rachel Blount of The Star Tribune also reported that Darwitz and Klee had a “clash,” with veterans like Coyne Schofield and others taking their head coach’s side. The reason for the reported incident is unknown.

The timing of the removal of Darwitz could not come at a weirder or worse time for the team. Not just because Minnesota won a championship, but also because the team is left to figure out a new draft strategy. Klee is being reported to take over GM duties for Monday night. Klee was one of the final candidates for the position before Darwitz was hired.

It’s certainly not a good look on the league, and the team, since both Monday’s draft and the first-ever PWHL Awards are set to be held in St. Paul.

Darwitz, who was just inducted into the IIHF Hall-of-Fame last month, helped build this Minnesota team from scratch. Hired in September of last year, the three-time IIHF world champion and two-time NCAA national champion decided to leave coaching and take on the task of putting together a winning team in the State of Hockey. She drafted young stars like Taylor Heise, Nicole Hensley, Grace Zumwinkle and Maddie Rooney to join the big signings of Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek and captain Kendall Coyne Schofield.

Natalie was also part of history when she helped complete the first trade in PWHL history, sending Susanna Tapani to Boston for Sophie Jaques. The move was beneficial for both sides, as Tapani and Jaques were key contributors to the teams’ path to the Final.

After a hot start to the season, Minnesota cooled off late in the year, ending the regular season on a five-game losing streak, narrowly nabbing the last playoff spot. After losing the first two games of the semifinals to top-seeded Toronto, Minnesota pulled off the reverse sweep, punching their ticket to the Final. That was where they met Boston, another underdog coming off an upset. The two teams went back and forth in a thrilling series, with Minnesota coming out on top in Game 5 to become the first PWHL champions.