Meghan Duggan has been hired as general manager of the PWHL’s new expansion franchise in Hamilton, Ont., the league announced on Friday.The 38-year-old is one of the most decorated players in U.S. women’s national team history. Duggan is a seven-time world champion, a three-time Olympian and was captain of the team that won gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Duggan also led a historic boycott against USA Hockey, demanding better wages and more equitable support for American female hockey players.“Meghan has been an effective leader at every stage of her career, and she is a rising star in the front office ranks,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations. “Meghan’s long list of on-ice achievements, coupled with her extensive background in development and community-building, make her a seamless fit to guide PWHL Hamilton into its first season.”After announcing her retirement in 2020, Duggan spent the last five years with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, most recently as the team’s director of player development.She has also held roles with the PWHL since 2024 as a special consultant to the hockey operations staff and a member of the league’s player safety committee.Duggan will be tasked with assembling PWHL Hamilton’s inaugural 2026-27 roster through the league’s expansion roster-building process and via the 2026 PWHL Draft.“I’m incredibly honored and energized to join PWHL Hamilton as general manager,” said Duggan. “This league represents the future of women’s professional sports and the opportunity to help build a team, culture, and identity from the ground up is a privilege.”The league has yet to officially announce how expansion teams will be built or how the four new franchises will be integrated into the entry draft, which will be held in less than a month on June 17. But according to a document sent to players by the PWHL Players Association last month, which was reviewed by The Athletic, there will be a series of signing windows and no traditional expansion draft, a departure from last year’s process.The PWHL announced last week that it would expand to Hamilton for the 2026-27 season, with additional teams in Detroit, Las Vegas and San Jose, Calif., also joining the league. The four new teams will join the league’s eight current markets in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, Minnesota, New York and Seattle.Duggan joins women’s hockey trailblazer Manon Rhéaume (Detroit) and Dominique DiDia of CAA Sports (Las Vegas) as the league’s newest general managers. The San Jose staff has yet to be announced.PWHL Hamilton will play at the newly renovated TD Coliseum next season, where the league hosted a successful neutral-site game back in January. With 16,012 fans, it was the third-largest “Takeover Tour” crowd of the season. And according to the league’s press release last week, over 70 percent of Hamilton’s “Takeover Tour” ticket buyers purchased their first PWHL game ticket, “underscoring the league’s opportunity to reach a distinct audience,” even with two other teams located in Ontario.“Hamilton is a passionate sports city with a rich hockey tradition, and my goal is to create an environment where players can thrive and compete for a championship,” said Duggan. “I’m grateful to the PWHL for their trust in me to lead this expansion team and I’m eager to get to work!”