In a life devoted to hockey, first as a player followed by a career as an executive, Natalie Darwitz has contributed significantly to the growth of women’s hockey.

Born October 13, 1983, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, Darwitz grew up in Eagan, Minnesota and started skating at age five. She went on to play four years of high school hockey in Eagan, collecting an astonishing 468 points and while in high school, twice represented the United States at the World Championships, capturing Silver Medals in 1999 and 2000. Through her playing career, Darwitz and Team USA won Gold Medals in 2005, 2008 and 2009 plus Silver Medals in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2007. In 2007, she was named one of the top three players on Team USA and was selected to the IIHF All-Star Team. In 2008, after scoring 6 goals, 4 assists and 10 points, Natalie was voted Best Forward in the tournament and was named to the All-Star Team. She was selected for the All-Star Team again in 2009 after leading all players in the tournament with seven assists.

Natalie represented the USA at the Winter Olympic Games on three occasions. At the 2002 Olympics, Darwitz led the tournament with seven goals and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team. The USA took the Silver Medal that year, winning Bronze at the 2006 Olympics and another Silver Medal in 2010.

At the Four Nations Cup, Natalie and Team USA twice won Gold Medals and received the Silver on eight other occasions.

Darwitz played three years of university hockey at the University of Minnesota. In 2002-03, she was a First Team NCAA Women All-American and a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award as NCAA Top Female Collegiate Player. In 2003-04, she was a member of the Women’s NCAA Champion team while playing with the University of Minnesota, was voted to the NCAA Second Team All-American and again was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. In 2004-05, her final year at the University of Minnesota, Natalie recorded 114 points on 42 goals and 72 assists and was an amazing +72 that season as the University of Minnesota won its second consecutive NCAA Championship. Darwitz was an NCAA First Team All-American, won the Bob Allen – Women’s Player of the Year Award presented by USA Hockey and for a third consecutive season, was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

In 2006-07 and 2007-08, Darwitz played for the Minnesota Whitecaps in the Western Women’s Hockey League (WWHL). She was asked to join the University of Minnesota’s coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2008.

After the 2010 Winter Olympics, Natalie Darwitz retired from playing and turned full-time to coaching. In August 2011, she was named Head Coach of the Lakeville South High School Girls Hockey Team and in 2015, she joined the Hamline University Women’s Hockey Team as Head Coach, a position she held for six seasons in which the team made one Frozen Four appearance. In 2021, Darwitz was named assistant coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and two years later, she was named co-coach of the Hill-Murray Women’s Hockey Team.

In the fall of 2023, Natalie Darwitz was named General Manager of the PWHL Minnesota franchise, and went on to defeat the Boston franchise in the final to win the inaugural Walter Cup championship.

The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Natalie in 2019, and in 2024, she was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Player Category.