Devils assistant GM Madigan talks raising bar for herself, women in hockey

In NHL.com’s Q&A feature called “Sitting Down with …” we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. This week, as part of our Women’s History Month coverage, we feature Kate Madigan, New Jersey Devils assistant general manager.

Kate Madigan was 16 when she told her parents she wanted to work in the NHL one day.

Despite not having any personal ice hockey experience, Madigan worked her way up the ladder and into the game.  

Madigan, a figure skater and self-taught hurdler in high school, would graduate with a master’s in accounting and a bachelor’s in business administration from Northeastern before taking a job with Deloitte & Touche. She gained a foundational administrative background in school before getting her NHL shot with the New Jersey Devils in 2017 under the tutelage of then general manager Ray Shero.

“My wife Kim and I are incredibly proud of Kate for following her passion and pursuing an opportunity outside the traditional career paths often available to women,” said Jim Madigan, Kate’s father and the Director of Athletics & Recreation at Northeastern University. “Kate has worked exceptionally hard to earn the trust and confidence of her managers and establish herself in a professional sports industry that is still largely male-dominated.”

She worked her way through multiple departments of the Devils front office, including scheduling for the pro scouting staff while working with coaches, management, and the video staff. She set the logistics for the 2020 and 2021 NHL Draft and the Devils draft command center at Prudential Center. She was Devils assistant of player information/video (2017-19) and director of pro scouting operations (2019-21).

When Tom Fitzgerald was elevated to GM in 2020, Madigan was promoted to executive director of hockey management/operations. On July 6, 2022, she became the first woman to be an assistant GM in franchise history, and sixth in NHL history.

“I hold myself to an extremely high standard,” Madigan said. “My work, the team, everything. So sometimes for me it’s just getting out of my own way, getting out of my own head, believing in myself, which I do. But I’d say when I first started, a little bit of that imposter syndrome seeped in where I’m looking around and there’s Hall of Famers, guys who have played 13 years in the League and I’m this little 26-year-old accounting major who’s never played hockey in her life. I’m like, what the [heck] am I doing here.

“Some of it was kind of getting comfortable in that I looked different, and I was different, but I started seeing it as a positive versus being intimidated and shy. It was getting out of my own head a bit and focusing on what I can bring, not what I don’t have.”

Madigan takes pride in the fact she’s done that and more in her 10 years with the Devils.

Now 33, she sat down with NHL.com to discuss her journey, the 2026 Winter Olympics, and the state of women’s hockey.

What early experiences, either in sports, school, or internships, helped shape your career direction?

“When I was at Northeastern, I did the co-op program so I was working at Deloitte & Touche when I was 18 and that opened my eyes to what work actually was. I was managing a full-time job, Division I athletes, taking classes. When you’re in high school, you’re just kind of in your own little world but then you have to prioritize and balance and that was something that really shaped me. I also learned how much I loved the people (at Deloitte) — accountants get a bad rap. Everyone was so nice, so cool, and that’s something that when I came to New Jersey, I realized was transferable. How much you work with people really does matter. How you treat them, how they treat you.”

Your father told me a fun story when you were competing in the 60-meter hurdles in track during your high school days at Milton (Massachusetts). Even though it was out of your norm, you found a way to perfect your craft and ultimately qualify for the state championships as a senior. What do you remember? 

“I was a walk-on in track at Northeastern. I remember talking to the coach about my running and I told him, ‘I four-step’. He was like, ‘What do you mean you four-step?’ I was 5-foot-2, so to be a hurdler, that’s pretty short. You’re also supposed to take three steps in between each hurdle but I’m so short, I couldn’t. Five steps was too many; I’d lose time. So I self taught myself how to switch legs. I would go over one hurdle with my left leg and then switch and go over to my right leg. To dads’ point, if I had an issue, I kind of solved a problem. It was not always a normal scenario or normal way to fix things, but I was able to do three years running like that.”

Who were the mentors or role models that influenced your path and what did you learn from them?

“I’d say my biggest is probably my mother. Looking back, I’m like, ‘How did you wake up at six every morning to go to work, raise two kids, cook dinner?’ She is someone that I’m completely enamored by with how she handles everything. She’s so strong and is probably my biggest mentor that I look to, and she always does it with a smile. I have others that I’ve grown up with from afar like (women’s soccer player) Mia Hamm, (former figure skater) Tara Lipinski, (former figure skater) Surya Bonaly. Hockey was (Pittsburgh Penguins captain) Sidney Crosby growing up. Now, I look at the likes of (Devils director of player development) Meghan Duggan … I don’t know how she does everything she does with work, two kids, being the president of the Women’s Sports Foundation to working with PWHL. Also, I’d be remiss to not talk about Tom Fitzgerald and (the late) Ray Shero. They’ve helped me grow, shape me and cared for me. They taught me how to be a professional in this industry and I’m forever thankful.”