NEW YORK AND TORONTO (MAY 27, 2026) – PWHL Hamilton today announced the appointment of Kris Sparre to the position of Head Coach ahead of the expansion team’s inaugural season in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). A finalist for the 2026 PWHL Coach of the Year award, Sparre joins PWHL Hamilton after spending the 2025-26 season with the Boston Fleet, where he engineered the biggest year-over-year improvement in league history.
“I’m thrilled to have Kris as the first Head Coach in PWHL Hamilton history, bringing a combination of hockey knowledge, leadership, and player development expertise that make him an ideal fit,” said Meghan Duggan, PWHL Hamilton General Manager. “I wanted someone who aligns with my core values and can establish a culture and standard that players will want to be a part of, as we forge the foundation and shape the identity of PWHL Hamilton. I believe Kris is the right person to help lead this, with a strong understanding of what it takes to build an environment where players can thrive individually while competing as a team.”
A native of nearby Mississauga, ON, Sparre’s first season as a PWHL head coach saw the Fleet compile a record of 16-5-4-5, good for the second-best mark in the league, and a six-win improvement over the 2024-25 season. The Fleet registered a single-season league-record-tying 62 points, representing a league-record 18-point improvement from the 2024-25 campaign. After missing the playoffs in the prior season, Boston became the fastest team in league history to clinch a playoff berth in 2025-26, needing just 24 games to accomplish the feat.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to build a foundation in Hamilton alongside Meghan, and moving closer to home and being near family makes this the right step for me personally and professionally,” said Sparre. “I’ll always be thankful for my time in Boston and the relationships built along the way. I’m incredibly grateful to Danielle Marmer for believing in me and giving me my first opportunity as a Head Coach with the Fleet, and to the staff and players for their commitment and passion that truly made it a privilege. The entire organization and fans in Boston showed me just how special it is to be a part of the PWHL community, and I’ll carry those memories and experiences with me as I begin this next chapter. I look forward to helping lead a new team that Hamilton can be proud of.”
Sparre began his coaching career with the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), spending three seasons with the club from 2016-19 while helping lead the team to postseason appearances each year and a Central Division crown in 2019. He also worked for two seasons as an assistant coach for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria’s top professional hockey league from 2019-21, then returned to the OHL for the 2021-22 season as an associate coach with the Flint Firebirds, helping the club earn its first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance. Prior to beginning his PWHL career, the 39-year-old served as an assistant coach for three seasons with the San Diego Gulls in the American Hockey League (AHL), the top affiliate for the Anaheim Ducks.
Before transitioning behind the bench, Sparre played in the OHL and professionally for nine seasons as a forward, including stints in the ECHL and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), Germany’s top professional hockey league.
PWHL Hamilton was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 13 and will debut at TD Coliseum in the fall. Fans can place a time-stamped deposit here, opens in a new tab to secure priority access to season tickets for PWHL Hamilton’s historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit HamiltonPWHL.com, subscribe to PWHL Hamilton’s newsletter here, opens in a new tab, and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Hamilton, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Hamilton, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL_Hamilton, opens in a new tab, Bluesky @PWHL-Hamilton, opens in a new tab, and LinkedIn PWHL Hamilton, opens in a new tab.