Boston Pride name Karilyn Pilch general manager

Today, the Boston Pride named Karilyn Pilch general manager. With Pilch managing the Pride, all five NWHL teams now have acting general managers.

Pilch joins the Pride and the NWHL after spending three seasons as the Director of Hockey Operations for the women’s team at Boston University. Before that, she spent seven years behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Saint Anselm College Hawks. During her playing career, Pilch, a New Hampshire native, played goal for the Terriers behind Allyse Wilcox.

“Karilyn is the perfect person for this important leadership position with the Pride,” deputy commissioner Hayley Moore shared in a league release. “She is brilliant, creative, determined and is passionately committed to working for the betterment of women’s hockey at all levels. The NWHL is really happy to have Karilyn managing our team in Boston.”

Her experience working directly with NCAA D-I and D-III players makes her uniquely qualified to be the general manager of a professional women’s team. Pilch also has experience evaluating and instructing players for USA Hockey. It’s easy to see why Moore — who was the Pride’s first general manager — raved about Pilch’s hiring in the league’s release. Before today, she and head coach Paul Mara worked together to build the Pride’s roster which currently has 11 players signed, including fellow BU alumnae Kaleigh Fratkin and Mary Parker.

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Pilch knows the game, knows how to recruit players, knows the local market, and knows how to manage a team. This is a big win for a Pride team that is looking to regain its status as the NWHL’s top dog.

“With Paul Mara and our staff, we will build a perennial Isobel Cup contender which our players can take pride in representing,” a confident Pilch shared in the NWHL’s release. “We will be a team that excites our fans in a city that demands nothing less than championships.”

With Pilch in place as the Pride’s general manager, Boston is now the third team to have its management and head coach(es) in place for the upcoming season. The Metropolitan Riveters and the Connecticut Whale both have general managers, but are still searching for a head coach.