Kraken, Mandrycky take center stage on International Women’s Day

When Alexandra Mandrycky walked into the offices of the Minnesota Wild in 2014, the faces were almost uniformly male. She had come in as a double outsider, a woman and a hockey data analyst, placing her squarely in the minority.

“It was great that no one ever questioned why I was there because I was a woman, but at the same time, I was the only woman that was there,” Mandrycky said.

That’s not true anymore.

Now, as Mandrycky looks around the offices of the Seattle Kraken, a decade and half-a-continent away from where she first entered the game, she points out female faces dotting the office. There is Namita Nandakumar, the Kraken’s manager, hockey analytics. There is Fiona McKenna, the Kraken’s data engineer. There is Katelyn Parker, the Kraken’s player development consultant.

“So we have quite a few of us here and we’re all part of the group the same way any man is,” Mandrycky said.

And that isn’t even including Jessica Campbell, the most visible example on the Kraken. Campbell, an assistant coach to Dan Bylsma, became the first woman to serve full-time behind the bench of an NHL team when she was added to the staff ahead of the 2024-25 season. She will be there on Saturday when the Kraken face the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center (12:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN1) on International Women’s Day.

“It’s been exciting to have Jess as part of the organization for the last few years,” Mandrycky said. “You see what she’s able to do with a player like Tye Kartye, Shane Wright, Ryker Evans down in [Coachella Valley], and now they’re part of our group here. And it’s been nice to see the transition from the AHL to the NHL and just watching her have an impact on both our younger players up here and then also the older players.

“And selfishly it’s also just been nice to have another lady around.”

But though Mandrycky isn’t quite as front-and-center as Campbell, her impact is no less crucial. When she was named an assistant general manager of the Kraken, on Sept. 14, 2022, she became the sixth woman to hold the position across the NHL, joining Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato with the Vancouver Canucks, Meghan Hunter with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kate Madigan with the New Jersey Devils.

With the Kraken, the commitment to inclusivity and diversity started early, as early as when general manager Ron Francis was going through the interview process of what was then known as NHL Seattle.

As Francis related to NHL.com a couple of years ago, “I was encouraged -- and I believe it was [owner] Jerry Bruckheimer -- to think outside the box. Don’t just do the norm because that’s the norm. You have an opportunity to think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to do that.”

He wasn’t.

He hired Mandrycky. He hired Granato as a professional scout. He hired Campbell.

“I think that in the hockey space, specifically in hockey operations, it’s the outsider perspective that may be challenging status quo,” Mandrycky said. “Something that is talked about going back to the NHL Seattle days, even before the Seattle Kraken, was just because we’ve always done it this way doesn’t mean that we have to keep doing it that way. And that goes for player evaluation, coaching staffs, how we approach player development, constantly seeking both these outside voices in terms of maybe gender but then also experiences, whether that’s analytics, getting coaching into the mix or that sort of thing.”

Francis’s hires were diverse, in gender, in race, in perspective. Mandrycky, for her part, comes from outside the hockey world. But she fit.

Others have done the same.

“We have a lot of women in powerful positions, whether that’s marketing, finance, PR, and the representation and understanding [of] our fans, as our fans are not all white men,” Mandrycky said. “So having types of people that are not white men in positions where we’re able to just better reach our fans is great.”

It has been a busy week for Mandrycky, as the Kraken and the rest of the NHL hurtle toward the NHL Trade Deadline today at 3 p.m ET. The Kraken (26-32-4) are 11 points out of the second wild card in the Western Conference, with four teams separating them and the Calgary Flames.

As she has gained experience and spent time in the Kraken’s front office, Mandrycky has evolved in her role, finding new ways to make an impact among a team that is dedicated to finding Seattle’s place in the NHL landscape. She has seen how her perspective, whether in its similarities or differences, can help shape their approach to players, player development, the amateur draft, and other aspects of team building.

“I’ve now been a part of this group for over five years, working with Ron and the rest of our management group,” Mandrycky said. “As the years go on, you maybe find more of a voice and confidence and the way you’re approaching different questions and problems [evolves].”

Every day, every season, every bit of experience helps.

“I think it’s just gaining the reps, in the same way a player does, as they get a few years in the NHL, maybe things start to feel more comfortable, you get more confident in your skills and what you can do on the ice,” Mandrycky said. “I think having gone through this a few times now in a leadership position you just feel more confident in maybe your opinions, how you speak about things. You understand maybe just a little bit better how things are done.

“Coming in in Minnesota in 2014-15, I mean I was just like a fly on the wall. I was so excited to understand the inner workings of the NHL. And then over 10 years later, now actually being more a part of it and being relied on a little bit more is exciting.”