Canucks hire Émilie Castonguay as first female assistant GM

Barriers are being brought down in Vancouver.

Émilie Castonguay has been named assistant general manager of the Vancouver Canucks — the first female in team history to hold the position. As a former agent who represented 2020 No. 1 overall selection Alexis Lafreniere, Castonguay will bring expertise in contracts and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, in addition to many other aspects.

"It is an honour to join the Vancouver Canucks and I am grateful to Jim and the Aquilini family for the opportunity," Castonguay in a press release. "The Canucks have a passionate fanbase and an exciting young team with a bright future. I can't wait to help build a winning organization that continues to grow and challenges for championship."

Castonguay is one of several new hires from the Canucks, who are in the process of rebuilding their management team under president of hockey operations and interim general manager Jim Rutherford after the Jim Benning era finally crashed and burned earlier this season.

Among those moves, the club recently added Derek Clancey as an assistant general manager and Rachel Doerrie to its analytical department.

It's believed that Rutherford had interviewed former national-level hockey players Jennifer Botterill, Jayna Hefford and Angela Ruggiero for an assistant general manager position.

Castonguay played Division I hockey for Niagara University before earning her law degree. She became the first woman in Canada to earn certification from the NHLPA to work as a player agent back in 2016.

Included in her portfolio beyond Lafreniere, Castonguay had represented many young players entering the league out of Quebec, including Mathieu Joseph, Jakob Pelletier, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph.

The search for Vancouver's general manager will continue with Rutherford consulting with Castonguay and Clancey. It's been reported that the interview process has been completed and that Patrik Allvin, a native of Sweden who won Stanley Cups with Rutherford with the Pittsburgh Penguins, may be viewed as the favourite over others interviewed for the gig, including Sean Burke and Scott Mellanby.

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