The off-season drama for PWHL Minnesota continued Wednesday, as Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News reported that the team has dismissed more of its staff.
According to Kennedy, head coach Ken Klee informed the staff members this week that they would not be returning for the 2024-25 season. The staff had been hires of former general manager Natalie Darwitz, who was removed from the team in June, just days after they won the league’s first ever Walter Cup championship.
At the time of Darwitz’s dismissal, PWHL vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said the move was a result of a lengthy internal and external review.
“The feedback to us was pretty direct and pretty clear that there wasn’t a path forward with the current personnel in place,” said Hefford. “It was with the work we did throughout the year, and it was clear that a change needed to be made.”
However, according to a report from The Athletic, Minnesota parted ways with Darwitz due to a rift between her and Klee.
Per Kennedy’s report, a former staff member described the culture of PWHL Minnesota as “toxic” and “unprofessional,” stating that no reason was given to those dismissed this week, apart from being told by Klee that the organization was “going in a different direction.”
