USA Hockey names Katie Million as director of women’s national team program

Today, USA Hockey announced Katie Million as the new director of the women’s national team program.

Million is currently the commissioner of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), a role she started in 2016. She will remain with the conference through the season and will join USAH on May 1.

Katie Million has been named director of women's national team programs for USA Hockey → https://t.co/FVUdthHtsg pic.twitter.com/27lQMCE7q1

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 16, 2019

“I could not be more excited and honored to be a part of USA Hockey,” Million said in the USAH release on the hiring. “The women’s national team program has had great success and I look forward to working with everyone involved to build on that success and help further elevate the efforts in and around the program and USA Hockey overall.”

“She’s done a tremendous job for the WCHA, and with her varied experiences in sports and passion for hockey, she is well positioned to lead our women’s national team program,” Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey, said in the same release.

In her time at the helm of the most successful conference in women’s hockey, Million set it up for long term success. In July 2017 — several months after the University of North Dakota folded their women’s team — the conference announced a public facing capital campaign to raise funds for various aspects such as operations funds, the conference tournament, awards, and more.

“We’re just trying to be proactive. As schools get less funding, their budgets are tightening. We just want to do everything we can in our power to lessen the burden of what they need to pay us financially,” Million said at the time.

A few weeks later, the WCHA secured a partnership with GoodWood Hockey. The apparel company sponsored the monthly and weekly awards. Ahead of the 2018-19 season, the conference’s 20th season, the WCHA announced a deal with FloSports to centralize the streaming of all seven schools.

She replaces Reagan Carey, who stepped down on Oct. 29, 2018, days before the 4 Nations tournament.