Reagan Carey has been named the Premier Hockey Federation’s new commissioner, the women’s professional hockey league announced on Tuesday.
Carey previously served as USA Hockey’s director of women’s hockey from 2010 to 2018, overseeing the US women’s national teams that won Olympic silver in Sochi and gold in PyeongChang. Carey was also general manager of the women’s national team.
She will become the third female commissioner in league history, succeeding Tyler Tumminia, who served two seasons and oversaw the organization’s renaming from the National Women’s Hockey League to the PHF.
After retiring from USA Hockey in 2018, Carey worked as a consultant outside of hockey while volunteering to help the sport at grassroots level.
“It wasn’t something I was pursuing. But when the opportunity arose and people started telling me a little bit more about what they wanted to do, I got more involved,” Carey told ESPN on Monday. “I understood what they wanted and what their needs were. My career experience and passion for growing the sport aligns very well with what the Board has already started here.”
A selection committee chaired by Tobin Kelly of the PHF Board of Governors interviewed a variety of candidates.
“What sets Reagan Carey apart is not only her incredible experience in the women’s hockey world, but also the collaborative approach she brings to the position,” said Kelly.
Carey, who will officially become commissioner on May 10, takes over the PHF at a critical time for the league entering its eighth season.
The PHF’s board of directors announced plans to invest more than $25 million in the league over the next three years. The salary cap for 2022-23 will be a record $750,000 per team, with a floor of $562,500.
The PHF is expected to grow from six teams to eight for the 2022-23 season, with speculation that one expansion team will be based in Montreal and another in a US city.
“I don’t have an answer for you right now, but I know it’s something that’s a priority and hopefully we can provide some updates here in the near future,” Carey said.
The PHF is also expected to face competition this season. The Professional Women’s Hockey Player Association plans to create its own six-team league in January 2023. The PWHPA, made up of women national team players from the United States and Canada, was in talks to partner with the PHF earlier this year but ultimately decided not to work with the league.
Carey called the arrival of a rival league part of a “really positive time for women’s hockey” because it gives players more options.
“I hesitate to say that we are competitors. I hope we can work together and support each other like Hockey Canada and USA Hockey do. They struggle on the ice, but behind the scenes that collaborative mentality allows us to make a lot of progress in our sport,” Carey said. “When you work to advance the sport of women’s hockey, you’re a teammate, regardless of what what logo or entity you represent. I hope the dialogue is positive.”
Carey worked with many PWHPA players at USA Hockey, including during a 2017 pay and benefits dispute that almost led to a boycott of the World Championships. Carey said she took classes from that time as she prepares to lead the PHF.
“Just harnessing the power of passion is an important lesson, but it’s also about communication and trust and transparency is important to me,” said Carey. “I think all of these things will be critical to success with the PHF as we move forward.”