Amanda Kessel

Amanda Kessel (born August 28, 1991) is an American ice hockey executive and former professional player, currently serving as Manager of Minor League Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and Assistant General Manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Internationally, Kessel represented the United States women's national ice hockey team at three Olympic Games and seven World Championships, winning five gold medals and five silver medals. She won Olympic gold in 2018 and silver medals at the 2014 and 2022 Olympics. At the 2018 Olympic gold medal game, she scored a crucial shootout goal that extended the shootout before the United States defeated Canada 3-2, securing the first U.S. Olympic gold in women's hockey in 20 years. She won World Championship gold medals in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2023, and ranks seventh among Americans in all-time World Championship scoring with 20 goals and 59 points in 43 games.

At the University of Minnesota, Kessel won three NCAA national championships (2012, 2013, 2016) and was awarded the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2013 as the top player in NCAA Division I women's hockey. She recorded 108 goals and 248 points in 136 games, averaging 1.82 points per game, and became the first player in NCAA women's hockey history to record over 100 points in a single season during her sophomore year in 2011–12. Her collegiate career was interrupted by concussion symptoms sustained during training for the 2014 Winter Olympics, causing her to miss the 2014–15 season and most of the 2015–16 season before returning for the national championship run.

Professionally, Kessel signed with the New York Riveters in 2016 on a contract that made her the highest-paid player in NWHL history at the time. She was named 2nd NWHL All-Star Game MVP after scoring the first hat trick in NWHL All-Star Game history. After returning to the renamed Metropolitan Riveters for the 2018–19 NWHL season, she joined the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association in 2019 to advocate for better support of women's hockey, participating in historic showcases including the first women's ice hockey event at Madison Square Garden in 2021.

In 2022, Kessel joined the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. She was promoted to Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations in 2023. Though she was selected by PWHL Montreal in the 2024 PWHL draft, Kessel chose to continue her management career and was promoted to her current roles with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in August 2024.

Early life Born in Madison, Wisconsin to Kathy and Phil Kessel Sr., Amanda is the youngest of three siblings, with older brothers Phil and Blake. Her mother, Kathy, was a track athlete in college, while her father played quarterback at Northern Michigan University and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 1981 NFL draft.

Growing up in an athletic household, Kessel and her brothers were highly competitive with each other, frequently competing in video games, ping pong, and hockey drills. She began skating at a young age and developed a passion for hockey alongside her siblings. Due to limited opportunities for girls' youth hockey in Madison, Kessel played for the Madison Capitols Bantam boys' team in 2005–06, helping the team win state and regional championships.

Kessel attended Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, where she played for the school's girls' hockey team. The following day, she scored the game-winning goal in a 3–0 victory. Kessel finished her freshman season with 28 goals and 71 points in 40 games, earning WCHA Rookie of the Year honors. The next day, she earned her second hat trick of the weekend as the Gophers defeated New Hampshire 6–1. Kessel was named a Patty Kazmaier Award top-10 finalist and helped lead Minnesota to the 2012 NCAA championship, defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 4–2 in the title game. On July 21, 2015, it was announced that Kessel would not be playing hockey for the 2015–16 season for health reasons. Because she had previously taken a redshirt year on two prior occasions, she was no longer be eligible to play college hockey. However, on February 3, 2016, the Golden Gophers announced that Kessel had returned to the team. Despite earlier prognoses, she continued working to gain clearance from doctors to play hockey and succeeded late in the 2015–16 season in time for the February 5–6 series against North Dakota. In her return season, Kessel recorded 17 points (11 goals, 6 assists) in 13 games. Her contract was the largest NWHL contract to date. She scored a hat trick in the All-Star Game, becoming the first player in NWHL All-Star history to accomplish this feat, and was recognized as the game's Most Valuable Player. She also added an assist in one postseason game that season. Kessel signed a one-year contract with the defending Isobel Cup champions in June 2018, fresh off Team USA's gold medal victory at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She led the team in assists (15) and points (17) despite the Riveters posting a disappointing 4-12-0 record, the worst season in franchise history. Kessel was the only Riveters player to average over a point per game during the season.

PWHPA (2019–23) Following the 2018–19 season, Kessel was one of many players to join the boycott of North American women's hockey leagues and join the new players' union, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), to push for better support of women's hockey.

Skating for Team New Hampshire during the 2020–21 PWHPA season, Kessel participated in a PWHPA Dream Gap Tour event at New York's Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2021, the first women's ice hockey event at the venue. Playing for a team sponsored by the Women's Sports Foundation, Kessel recorded a goal and an assist in a 4–3 win, earning the Second Star of the Game. In the 2022–23 season, Kessel recorded 5 points in 6 games playing for Team Adidas in the PWHPA.

PWHL Montreal (2024) Kessel declared for the 2024 PWHL draft in May 2024, despite having spent the 2023–24 season working in the Pittsburgh Penguins' front office. Reports circulated that Kessel only intended to play for PWHL Boston, where her sister-in-law Courtney Kessel served as head coach. However, PWHL Montreal selected her 41st overall with the second-to-last pick in the draft on June 10, 2024.

Kessel never played for Montreal. On August 19, 2024, she was promoted by the Penguins to Manager of Minor League Operations and Assistant General Manager of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Following the announcement, it was not made clear whether she would play for Montreal or continue her front office career with the Penguins.

Senior career

As a member of the U.S. national team, Kessel has won a medal at all the international tournaments she has participated in, compiling a career total of five gold medals and five silver medals across three Olympic Games and seven World Championships. Kessel made her senior international debut at the 2011 4 Nations Cup, where she helped the United States win gold. Kessel's third Olympic appearance came at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, where she recorded 1 goal and 1 assist in 7 games. The United States earned a silver medal after falling to Canada in the gold medal game. She earned a promotion on August 4, 2023 when she was named as a Special Assistant to the Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Kyle Dubas. While her previous role saw her learning multiple facets of the team's day-to-day operations, including marketing and public relations, her new role is focused solely on hockey operations and club management with a focus on research and development as well as minor league operations. On August 19, 2024, she was promoted by the Penguins to manager of minor league operations and assistant general manager of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Personal life Kessel became engaged to her partner, Catherine Williams, on August 21, 2024. The two married in 2025. In 2019, Kessel paired with Eric Radford for the fifth season of CBC's Battle of the Blades, where hockey players paired with figure skaters to compete for their chosen charity. However, she and Radford were the first pair eliminated. All-Tournament Team 2012, 2016 First Team All-American 2013 First Team All-USCHO 2013 USCHO Player of the Year 2013 Patty Kazmaier Award 2013

Rookie of the Year 2011

World U18 Championship – Best Forward 2009 World Championship – Media All-Star Team 2022

Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award 2013