New Minnesota PWHL GM Melissa Caruso Focuses on Future Rather Than Offseason Concerns

New PWHL Minnesota general manager Melissa Caruso focused Wednesday on addressing the future rather than the past and the offseason issues the franchise has faced since winning the women’s hockey league’s inaugural championship.

Speaking on a Zoom video call a day after she was hired, the former American Hockey League executive paid tribute to her predecessor, U.S. Olympian Natalie Darwitz, for building a championship roster. She did not mention that Darwitz was removed from the PWHL in June after a month-long league review following the Walter Cup win.

And Caruso looked forward to working with coach Ken Klee, who drew criticism for recruiting Wisconsin captain Britta Curl, who later apologized for endorsing transphobic messages on social media. Klee was also investigated by the PWHL this summer for allegations of assaulting team personnel.

”I’ve certainly been informed of everything that’s happened here in the last few months,” Caruso said. “Going forward, like I said, we just started yesterday, so I’m going to assess where we are from a team perspective and move forward to look at Season 2.”

PWHL Vice President of Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford, who also participated in the call, did not provide an update on the league’s investigation into Klee. She clarified that there will be a distinct separation of power between the two.

”Ken Klee is the head coach of our team in Minnesota, and I’m not concerned at all about general manager issues,” Hefford said. “We have selected Melissa as the ideal candidate to lead this team, and Ken will lead the team on the ice as he did last season.”

The PWHL is a centralized league that owns all six franchises. It is funded by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

Hefford expressed no concern about the criticism the team and the league have generated from fans this offseason.