Kate Madigan: A Natural Progression to AGM | FEATURE

If the future is female,the future has arrived.
On Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils announced the promotion of Kate Madigan to Assistant General Manager, the first female assistant GM in club history and the sixth in league history.
"I'm just so thankful for this opportunity from Tom Fitzgerald and the managing partners. It's just, that it's finally coming. It's just surreal. I'm just embracing it today."
The opportunity comes as Madigan has had her hands in Hockey Operations since she joined the club in the summer of 2017, taking on an array of different roles in the department that lead to this monumental moment.
"I started five years ago in amateur scouting operations, doing a lot around the draft in every process with my boss, Scott Harris. And we did every single detail, like no stone unturned. I did that for about a year and a half, really, on the amateur side, I then went into the pro side a bit, and transitioned two years in to do all the trades, free agents, and things with the coaching staff of that nature.
"I traveled with the team full time doing Hawk-Eye," she continued to explain, "So I got a lot of different experiences there. And then, two years ago, I transitioned into this, or my old role, I guess, Executive Director of hockey management and operations."
And so it was a natural progression for the 29-year-old, that her role would evolve into where it is today.

Madigan has worked closely with general manager Tom Fitzgerald, particularly as her role began to shift from her amateur scouting operations position. The two, she says, are 'thought partners', where she can help support Fitzgerald on key decisions around the club, ranging from injuries, athlete care, pro, and amateur scouting, and hockey operations hirings.
"We've talked about the progression, not only mine, but all the Devils, and where we see this team going and the vision on the ice off the ice, all the different aspects. And we're just so aligned, that it makes sense. And so, we balanced each other really well."
The moment is extra special for her, as her father Jim was born and raised in Montreal, the city where Madigan's promotion was announced as the club prepares for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Madigan is a part of a group of women who have recently taken on major roles in the National Hockey League, on Tuesday Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser was named as assistant GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Cammi Granato took on the AGM role with the Canucks, alongside Emilie Castonguay, while the Chicago Blackhawks hired Meghan Hunter earlier this summer for the same role. Jessica Campbell was named the American Hockey League's first female assistant coach, joining the Coachella Valley, Seattle's AHL affiliate.
"It's special, I'm thankful to be a part of it," Madigan shared, "I'm thankful for it to continue to grow. I think in the past, we've seen one-offs here and there, the momentum is going to keep going. I've seen it with our very own Meghan Duggan, what she's done in a year in her recent promotion. So I'm just very happy to be a part of this group and to continue to change the landscape of all sports. And hopefully, one day, there's a female General Manager in the NHL, and I know the NBA, MLB, all these sports are taking those steps."

Madigan considers herself a 'people first' person, and feels that where she will begin in embracing her new role.
"You (have) got to have the right people on the ice, off the ice, the culture, the staff, to build something," she said with enthusiasm, "we don't want to win one Stanley Cup, we want to be in it every single year, something everlasting, something that can be five, ten years long. So what excites me is we're building it the right way."
That building continues Thursday night as the Devils hold the second overall pick in the draft and for the first time, Madigan will step onto the draft stage as the assistant general manager of the New Jersey Devils, a moment she will embrace not just from a personal standpoint but for what it continues to mean for the progression of the sport.
"I think visibility is of the utmost importance. So when it's young girls, young boys any age, watching the draft tomorrow, and they see, not just me, but probably other females on that stage, too. It's what does she do? That's cool. I've never seen a woman up there. And just asking those questions to learn. And I think visibility is probably the biggest thing."