Seattle Kraken promote Alexandra Mandrycky

The Seattle Kraken now have a new assistant general manager, and it is one that made her name in the field of analytics. According to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, Alexandra Mandrycky has been promoted to the AGM position, from her previous role as director of hockey administration. Mandrycky was one of the first hires the Kraken ever made, before Ron Francis had even been brought in as general manager.

Mandrycky is the sixth woman this offseason to be promoted to assistant general manager, after the Vancouver Canucks essentially broke the glass ceiling by hiring Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato. Francis directly addressed some of the comments that are sure to follow this announcement:

I’ve always been in the school of thought that you find the best person available for the job. Alex isn’t getting this promotion because she’s a female. It’s because she’s earned this promotion, there’s no doubt about it. She’s already been involved in all facets of our organization, from the pro side to amateur to management discussions.

Mandrycky, 31, worked as an analyst with the Minnesota Wild for four years before joining Seattle, where one colleague called her an “unassuming superstar” that was destined for bigger things. She landed that job by being one of the founders of war-on-ice.com, a statistical modeling site that attempted to find advantages through analytics.

Now, after more than seven years in NHL front offices, she has received a bigger role and taken another step forward in her career. If there was a betting line on who would be the first female general manager in the NHL, Mandrycky would certainly be among the favorites, even at her relatively young age.