The impending Seattle NHL franchise has made history by hiring Hall of Famer Cammi Granato as the first female pro scout. She is one of five scouts named by the team on Wednesday. Other names added to the staff were former NHLers Ulf Samuelsson, Stu Barnes, veteran scout Dave Hunter and onetime juniors head coach John Goodwin.
We're excited to welcome pro scouts Ulf Samuelsson, Cammi Granato, Stu Barnes, Dave Hunter and John Goodwin to the #NHLSeattle family!
Meet the squad → https://t.co/EGBEW8wQkl pic.twitter.com/atV3SnXfGf
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) September 25, 2019
Cammi Granato Joins Seattle as Scout
Granato will be at her home base of Vancouver, British Columbia and that was a reason general manager Ron Francis hired her. Francis said that they wanted a West Coast-based scout.
She joins Noelle Needham as female scouts in the league. Needham is a full-time amateur scout with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“She knows the pro game and its players,” Francis told the media. “When we talked about the role and how it is going to work, I mentioned the [Seattle] organization’s overall commitment to diversity. It probably didn’t hurt that Ray and I are friends and former [Hartford Whalers] teammates
The 1998 Olympic gold medalist is the country’s all-time leading scorer with 186 goals, 157 assists and 343 points. She played on every
Granato was one of the first female inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010 along with Angela James. She’s also a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. The Downers Grove, Ill. native got inducted into those halls in 2008.
Hockey runs deep in her blood as her brothers, Tony and Don, are both coaches at the college and pro levels. Granato’s husband is also former player and current analyst Ray Ferraro.
What It Means
Seattle gets a person with extensive hockey knowledge that has been in the game for years. Granato said she had other opportunities to get back into the NHL. However, she jumped at the chance to join the organization.
The team looks to have a good base of front office scouts and staff as it tries to equal the roaring start of the Vegas Golden Knights. Granato’s hire is also another positive step in the league becoming more diverse.
She will help prepare Seattle for the 2021 Expansion Draft as the yet unnamed franchise starts play in 2021-22.
NAGANO – FEBRUARY 14: Cammi Granato #21 of Team USA shoots during the women’s first round match against Team Canada at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics on February 14, 1998 at the Aqua Wing in Nagano, Japan. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
