Dani Rylan

Dani Rylan (born August 5, 1987) is an American entrepreneur and former ice hockey player. She is the founder and current commissioner of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL),[1][2] the first professional women's hockey league in the United States, and the first professional women's hockey league ever to pay its players in North America.[3] Prior to launching the league in March 2015, Rylan attempted to bring a CWHL expansion team to New York in 2014.[4] She previously played with the Northeastern Huskies women's ice hockey program in NCAA play.

Dani Rylan
Personal information
Born (1987-08-05) August 5, 1987
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
ResidenceNew York, New York, U.S.
Height5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Sport
SportIce Hockey
PositionLeft Wing
College teamNortheastern

Early life and education

Rylan began playing ice hockey with boys on the Tampa Bay Junior Lightning as an elementary school student.[5] She attended boarding school at the St. Mark's School in New England, known for its ice hockey program where she was captain of the girls' team.[5]

Playing career

Prior to joining Northeastern, Rylan played one season with Division II program Metro State, a men's team that competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. She earned a broadcasting journalism degree at Metro State in 2010.[6]

Career stats
SeasonTeamGPGAPPIMPPGSHGGWG
2010–11[7]Northeastern37371020001
2011–12Northeastern33371016002

NWHL

Rylan was inspired to create a women's league while watching the United States and Canadian national teams play in the finals of the 2014 Winter Olympics and began researching the new business opportunity.[5] She began calling people she knew in ice hockey circles and the plans for the league began within a year.[5] She contacted players, conducted research on markets, held training camps, created four teams, and scheduled the venues.[5]

Rylan presents the Isobel Cup to the Buffalo Beauts in 2017.

In addition to her duties as league commissioner, Rylan was the first general manager in the history of the New York Riveters during the inaugural season of the NWHL.[8]

Personal life

Rylan grew up in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. Her father worked in marketing for the Tampa Bay Lightning.[6] After college, she moved to New York City and opened a coffee shop named Rise and Grind in East Harlem.[5]

References
  1. "Champion for Women's Hockey Wills Pro League Into Third Year". The New York Times. 2017-03-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  2. "So We Started a Hockey League | By Dani Rylan". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  3. "These women are about to make hockey history". Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2015-03-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Meet Dani Rylan, the Commissioner of the WNHL". Shape Magazine. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  6. Borzi, Pat (April 10, 2015). "BIG PLANS, BIG QUESTIONS FOR NEW WOMEN'S PRO HOCKEY LEAGUE". ESPN. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  7. "Player Stats | Year by Year | Dani Rylan :: Statistics :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  8. Ayala, Erica (2018-02-14). "Erika Lawler: In the NWHL, On NBC, Spreading the Gospel of Women's Hockey". National Women's Hockey League. Retrieved 2018-05-25.


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