KATERINA WU ALWAYS LOVED HOCKEY. Same with numbers.
But the concept of marrying those two in a career like she has now, as senior data scientist for the Pittsburgh Penguins? That revelation came about, fittingly, through healthy competition -- and, admittedly, a dash of "pure spite."
"One of my friends [in college] made a bet with me that my team wouldn't make the playoffs," Wu told ESPN. "And I tried to use statistics basically to prove him wrong by running my own playoff simulation to calculate the probability that my team was going to make the playoffs. From there it was like, 'Oh, this is really cool; I can apply what I learned in my stats courses into sports.'"
Wu is part of an expanding roster of women breaking barriers to earn coveted NHL front office positions. According to the league, all 32 clubs currently employ women in their hockey operations departments with roles ranging from assistant general managers to scouts, analysts, skating coaches, and player development positions.
While there is still room to grow in diversifying front offices, the increased visibility of women in prominent roles is growing the sport in long-overdue ways, and could be linked to an uptick in recorded fandom among women. Data sourced through the NHL in 2022-23 showed four out of every 10 U.S. NHL fans are women, and the NHL's female cable TV viewership across the major networks rose 61% during the 2021-22 regular season.
"There's a lot of people that have been paving the way and trying to get [more women] involved in the sport," said Amanda Kessel, an Olympic gold medalist and now special assistant to the Penguins' hockey operations and general manager. "There are women right now that I look up to and have some type of relationships with who I've leaned on to try to see how they've gotten their jobs and how I can reach [my goals]."
Here are the stories of five women with career paths to roles previously only held by men, and the impact their valuable voices have now on influencing teams' trajectories.
MEGHAN HUNTER EXITED COLLEGE like many seniors before her: sure of what she wanted to do, unsure exactly how to make it happen.
Mostly, Hunter just wanted to stay in hockey. She had a remarkable four-year playing career with the Wisconsin Badgers from 2000 to '04, earning WCHA Rookie of the Year honors in 2001 when she led the nation in scoring with 42 goals and 78 points. She was named a second-team All-American from there. Hunter coached too, both at Wisconsin and Niagara University. She worked in nearly every department for the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights to learn the business inside out, and from there spent nearly six years managing the women's national teams for Hockey Canada.
Hunter was driven, talented and passionate about the sport. It finally led her, somewhat unexpectedly, to an NHL front office. She started off as an executive assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016, graduated to hockey administration and scouting, and now sits as one of the league's few female assistant general managers.
"I had no idea [where I was headed] because I didn't really see any other females working in hockey operations when I was coming out of school," Hunter said. "I've always been very goal-oriented. I did a project when I was in like grade four, and it showed how I wanted to get a scholarship and play hockey in university, I wanted to play in the Olympics, and I wanted to play in the NHL. My goals kind of changed as I grew, but the one big goal of mine was always to work in the NHL. So when the opportunity came along, I was ecstatic for it and everything that I had done throughout my lifetime kind of helped me transition into this role."
She is, in many ways, Chicago's Swiss Army knife. There's no task too small, or project too big, for Hunter to take on in pursuit of improving the Blackhawks and supporting Chicago's general manager, Kyle Davidson.
"I'm basically in charge of overseeing all the day-to-day operations of the team," she explained. "Everything from logistics and scheduling to budgets to executing player transactions, making sure our roster is [salary cap] compliant on a day-to-day basis. Any medical stuff that's going on with the players, we're overseeing that and making sure we're submitting everything [pertaining to those] on time. If it's a practice day, I head over to the practice rank and just touch base with the coaches, touch base with Kyle, the medical staff, the equipment guys, see what's going on and get the pulse of the team. It's an all-hands-on-deck type of thing, where you help out with anything that's needed or comes up."
Hunter, 42, has mastered the NHL's intricate collective bargaining agreement so she can assist Davidson and "take anything off his plate" when it comes to checking in with the league on salary cap issues or inquiring with other teams. She's a point person on that -- and several other responsibilities -- during trade season, too.
"[At the deadline], I'm executing everything," she said. "I'm calling the league if we have questions on a player or if we can make a certain trade. Sometimes there are things that are discussed that may not even be possible, so I call the league or different contacts and check in. Kyle takes various calls throughout the day, so we'll have a meeting room set up just where we can bounce ideas off of each other. If he gets off the phone with another GM, he may say, 'Hey, this may be a possibility; what do you think about this? Do you think it's going to be good for our team?' So all of the management group will be in there discussing the pros and cons and weighing everything."
Good communication is essential, and it has been since Hunter began ascending the ranks. She credits regular phone calls with other assistant GMs and sharing information as a key part of success in her role, and makes a point to be "outgoing and personable" in visits with other execs whenever she can.
It's no doubt a point of personal pride for Hunter to recognize inroads she has made thus far. And if her work can inspire more women to pursue front office jobs, it's well worth her continued efforts to move the needle.
"It's an honor; I'm very proud to be in this position," she said. "I'm very thankful to be where I am, but I also did work pretty hard and put in some long hours to get here. So definitely very proud of that. And I don't take it lightly that I'm a role model for other females wanting to break into the league. That's something I carry as a priority, to try to open some doors for other females as well."
DANI RYLAN KEARNEY has experienced it all in hockey. Or so she might have thought.
Rylan Kearney is a former Division-I skater at Northeastern. She founded, and was commissioner of, the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). Before that, Rylan Kearney played against men with the D-II club program at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
The totality of Rylan Kearney's background is what helped her in this first year as a regional pro scout for the Edmonton Oilers -- including challenges she didn't see coming.
"Honestly, [scouting is] a lot more complicated than I originally thought," she said. "Every potential move is more complicated than what it might appear. To be thoughtful with not only trying to improve the team for this year, but beyond, and being cap conscious and making sure that we're looking at the right players to bring into the Oilers organization is layered."
Fortunately, Rylan Kearney has always been up for new adventures. She joined the Oilers after mutual connection Hayley Moore -- VP of hockey operations for the AHL and former deputy commissioner of the NWHL -- introduced her to Edmonton's AGM Brad Holland and, years later, he presented an opportunity to apply for the Oilers' vacant scouting post.
She describes her role in relation to supporting both GM Ken Holland and CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson, doing whatever possible to "make their job easier." That's especially true in the weeks ahead of the trade deadline.
"Things are definitely ramping up," she said. "And actually being in my first year, I'm definitely still learning a lot. I've learned a lot from my fellow scouts. I like to think having my outlook and viewpoints has been helpful to the team and we've had really passionate and healthy debate. And I think that it's an exciting time of year and I'm anxious -- in a good way -- to see what happens."
Rylan Kearney, 36, has also leaned on her past as architect of the now defunct NWHL in creating another expansive chapter of her career. The NWHL was the first women's pro league in the U.S., and first to pay its players. Those years indelibly shaped Rylan Kearney and the attitude she brings to a scouting capacity.
"When you're building anything, it's important to have people bringing different experiences," she said. "As a former player, and as someone who has started businesses, and been commissioner of NWHL, I think I bring something that's a little different to the Oilers. And so do many of the other people on our staff. Brad Holland and Jeff Jackson and Ken Holland have done such a good job of creating a great roundtable where I think having that diverse perspective is important."
History has shown Rylan Kearney that it's "hard to break into" the NHL world. She doesn't often see other women scouts at games but was encouraged by the outpouring of support she received when getting the Oilers job (including a call from Vancouver's AGM Emilie Castonguay).
While the uniqueness of her role isn't lost on Rylan Kearney, she doesn't want gender to be its defining feature, either. If anything, she'd rather be a beacon to anyone ambitious enough to make their own way into such a demanding -- but rewarding -- industry.
"If you see other women or other people in a role, it will create more opportunities," she said. "And I feel like I don't just represent women but I'm a woman who went from playing men's college hockey to being a captain at Northeastern then a woman in business and now an NHL pro scout. I feel like not just young girls but even if a young person sees me in a press box and wonders, 'who is that?' maybe their takeaway can be that if you love the game, the opportunities are endless."
AMANDA KESSEL IS QUICK to correct the notion that she's fully retired from playing hockey.
It's just that Kessel -- who suited up professionally for the NWHL's New York Riveters in 2016-17 and Metropolitan Riveters in 2018-19 -- has goals beyond putting pucks in a net. And she knows a good opportunity when it comes around.
That made it easier to put one career on the back burner and fully embrace her adviser role with the Penguins, in service of even greater aspirations.
"I said the ultimate goal [when I took the job] was wanting to become a general manager," she said. "It's easier said than done. But I just know that I'm enjoying what I do. I love coming to work every day. I'm excited to learn from the people above me. I know I still have so much to learn and a long way to go."
Kessel began her journey with the Penguins in April 2022 as part of their executive management program. Former Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse had been vehemently pursuing Kessel to take a front office post since her time in the NWHL. Once Kessel was ready to transition into an off-ice role, she threw herself into the process with the same gusto that has made her one of the most decorated U.S. women's hockey players.
Her fortitude eventually led to a promotion in August 2023 working more closely with newly hired general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his newly appointed assistant general manager, Jason Spezza.
It's been an eye-opening eight months for Kessel.
"You do realize there's a lot more to [their jobs] than just, 'Hey, let's go out and get this guy,'" she said. "I have a better understanding now of everything that they have to go through and why some things don't fit, why some stuff is dependent on the business and ideas can seem a lot easier than when you're actually in it and it becomes a lot more difficult [to execute them]. Executives do a lot more than I would have ever really thought. It seems like a dream job, but the work that they put into it is incredible."
Kessel has aligned especially well with Spezza. The two came to Pittsburgh under similar circumstances as players pivoting into uncharted territory. Kessel credits him with being "really helpful" in getting her established, and praises both Spezza and Dubas for cultivating a collaborative environment that breeds confidence.
"I feel comfortable sharing my opinion [in the organization] whether it's different or not," she said. "And that's up to ultimately Kyle and Jason's discretion of what they truly want to do and believe, but they do want everyone's opinions and values. I'm lucky to be in an organization like that."
A typical day at the office for Kessel involves plenty of watching. She makes frequent trips to the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, and is regularly on the road for college games and international tournaments. Then it's time to report back on her findings.
"It is difficult since I'm doing amateur and pro [scouting]. But I think it gives you an advantage because you're able to see these younger guys and then in a few years being able to see how they turn out and evaluate them at the pro level," Kessel said. "But it's a big challenge to try to predict their projection -- that's why there's people around that have been doing it for so long and that are really good at it. As much as I think that I can evaluate pretty well, it's been great to be able to lean on all the people like Kyle that have done it for so long."
Kessel has an integral role to play in the lead-up to the trade deadline as well. She notes the longer hours and heightened work loads associated with this time of year, along with the thrill of seeing what she's prepared for all season being put into action. If Kessel continues to grow and excel, that future as a woman GM is certainly in her sights.
"I just want to be involved in hockey. It's been my passion," she said. "I've always loved watching the game, studying it, loved studying other players and seeing what they liked. I knew I had a passion and love for it in other ways than just playing. So I'm really grateful and lucky that I found this opportunity."
MIRANDA MCMILLAN CAN'T EXPLAIN why she was so drawn to hockey. Only that the obsession started early.
Her parents tried guiding McMillan's attention elsewhere. For years they put off letting her play.
But McMillan would not be denied. At 8 years old she was finally on the ice -- facing off against boys, no less -- and she honed her craft at the high school level before becoming a student athlete at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
To that point, McMillan had no clue that her love of numbers -- she declared a statistics major in her second year at Dalhousie -- and fondness for hockey would combine to create a career like the one she holds now as a data analyst for the Montreal Canadiens.
"When I was in university, I didn't really necessarily have a plan once I was done," she said. "It wasn't something where I was like, 'Oh yeah, I'm going to work in sports analytics, and I'm going to do this and do that with my degree.' It kind of happened organically once I had graduated and I had retired [from playing] and I ended up working for an athlete management system in Halifax. And then just within the past couple of years through certain connections I made in my previous company is how I ended up connecting with the Canadiens."
Now McMillan is part of a three-person group -- including a director of analytics and a data engineer -- that supports Montreal's hockey operations department. While McMillan is still based in Halifax, she's in constant communication with her Canadiens teammates and finding new ways to contribute to Montreal's overall goals -- something particularly important in the weeks before the trade deadline.
"My role is a lot of supporting and making sure [our director] has the tools he needs to go have his conversations with management," she said. "If there's any player comparisons that need to happen and he needs some reports generated or he just needs a quick number or whatever it is, we can get those generated so that he can then empower himself to have those conversations with the [higher ups]."
At the same time, McMillan is touching base with staff at every level to find out what data she can mine for their departments.
"I work very closely with the sports scientists and athletic therapists to make sure that we're collecting and presenting materials in ways that they can then use and consume to make their day-to-day decisions," she said. "On a given day I could be working with in-game tactical data, I could be working with human performance data in terms of what their player [work] loads look like. Could be working with a nutritionist to make sure the data they're collecting can be consumed and visualized or analyzed in a way that makes sense."
It may not be the path McMillan imagined when she got her wish to play hockey. But it has been a "game-changer" combining two passions into one role. She would encourage any women worried about fitting into the hockey space to think less about why they can't carve out a niche, and more about how their own special talent can be channeled into the right position.
"Just be true to yourself and make sure that you are very comfortable with who you are and finding your passion and what you love," she said. "That's super key, right? I love going to work every day, I love working in the field and I'm very fortunate to do so. There's no such thing as bad networking and bad connections, either. So as you have opportunities to meet new people and to make those connections, you never know when down the road that might come in handy. Put yourself out there. See where it goes."
KATERINA WU ISN'T LIKELY to toot her own horn. Not that she needs to -- the résumé speaks for itself.
Wu studied economics, with a double minor in statistics and computer science, and was just 22 years old when she became the first woman hired by Pittsburgh to the scouting and evaluation side of hockey operations. Entering into the field wasn't exactly the norm for someone in Wu's field -- most of her classmates would pursue internships in consulting -- but Wu is anything but ordinary. As a college junior, she applied to Carnegie Mellon's eight-week summer program in sports analytics and, once accepted, caught the attention of former Penguins director of hockey operations Sam Ventura.
He quickly recognized Wu had it all -- from the technical skills to the love of the game -- to be Pittsburgh's next senior data scientist. Ventura hired Wu in 2021, and it's been a dream job ever since.
"The main goal is to try to glean insights from that data and try to provide that in a useful format so that the general manager or anyone can make more informed decisions," Wu said. "And that covers a wide spectrum of things, because there's a lot of different kinds of data. We work with sports science, we work a lot with scouting, the pro scouts and amateur scouts, we do a lot of work on player evaluations. All of that involves data in some way, and our job is to make sure that it's in a good format that's usable."
The data arrives to Wu and her colleagues in several forms, whether through public databases, the NHL itself, or third-party sources.
"All of that comes together and we go through cleaning processes," she explained. "So we have a data engineer that helps us with data cleaning and processing. There's a term called ETL: extract, transform and load. So he does that part on the data side for us. Once it's in the processed form, then we store it onto our local servers, and we can read that data from anywhere."
Management's need for information ramps up at critical junctures like the trade deadline. Wu is vigilant in her advanced preparations to ensure any required figures are at the executive team's fingertips.
"These are definitely much busier times where we're trying to make sure we have all the data that's going to be needed, as well as having it in either visualizations or other written reports," she said. "We try to make sure that those are done beforehand. Because we also handle any ad hoc requests from coaches, scouts, or management. And those can be any requests like, 'pull me these power-play numbers from the last 15 games' or it can be something from management like, 'find players that fit this prototype.'"
There was a time where Wu thought she wouldn't fit the mold in hockey. But then she found Namita Nandakumar on social media. Nandakumar was a data analyst for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time -- she's now senior quantitative analyst for the Seattle Kraken -- and Wu was emboldened by seeing another woman making her own way in such an innovative field.
"I really, really loved her work," Wu said. "I thought what she was putting out there was amazing. I really didn't want to do consulting or accounting after college; that wasn't thrilling to me. And when I learned that she got a job as a quantitative analyst with the Eagles, I thought that was exactly what I wanted to do -- but for hockey. So she completely inspired me in the sense that she made me aware of the fact that a job in sports analytics was possible. It was a major revelation for me."
Wu has connected in person with Nandakumar ("It's really cool to have a peer like that in hockey") and her hope is that more women will grab hold of the ever-emerging opportunities in sports analytics.
"If you put your work out there and do your own research, there's a lot that can happen," she said. "Especially with the new women's league [the PWHL], that's a brand-new league with limited analysis on them right now because there's not as much data. But that's a really good foundation to build your own analytics research. All it takes is doing a project and putting your work out there and attending conferences and speaking out. I am very lucky to be where I am, but that never would have been possible if I hadn't done the first step of doing my own projects and putting myself out there."