{{Short description|American entrepreneur and ice hockey player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Dani Rylan | nationality = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|8|05|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Tampa, Florida, U.S. | height = {{convert|5|ft|3|in|m}} | weight = | country = | sport = Ice Hockey | position = Left Wing | collegeteam = Northeastern | olympics = | image = Dani Rylan.jpg | image_size = 230 px | caption = Rylan in 2017 }} '''Dani Rylan Kearney''' (born August 5, 1987) is an American entrepreneur and former ice hockey player. She is the founder and former commissioner of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/sports/hockey/national-womens-hockey-league-dani-rylan.html|title=Champion for Women's Hockey Wills Pro League Into Third Year|date=2017-03-19|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-05-25|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2018-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525133556/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/sports/hockey/national-womens-hockey-league-dani-rylan.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/womens-pro-hockey-league-nwhl|title=So We Started a Hockey League {{!}} By Dani Rylan|website=The Players' Tribune|language=en-us|access-date=2018-05-25|archive-date=2018-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525132915/https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/womens-pro-hockey-league-nwhl|url-status=live}}</ref> the first professional women's hockey league in the United States, and the first professional women's hockey league ever to pay its players in North America.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thinkprogress.org/these-women-are-about-to-make-hockey-history-b1ddfe22cd82/|title=These women are about to make hockey history|access-date=2018-05-25|language=en-US|archive-date=2017-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017042152/https://thinkprogress.org/these-women-are-about-to-make-hockey-history-b1ddfe22cd82/|url-status=live}}</ref> Prior to launching the league in March 2015, Rylan attempted to bring a CWHL expansion team to New York in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cunysportsreport.com/project/dani-rylan/ |title=CUNY Sports Report Dani Rylan Looks to Bring New Women's Hockey Team to NYC - CUNY Sports Report |accessdate=2015-03-27 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330033148/http://www.cunysportsreport.com/project/dani-rylan/ |archivedate=2015-03-30 }}</ref> She previously played with the Northeastern Huskies women's ice hockey program in NCAA play and was a captain in her final season.
==Early life and playing career== Rylan began playing ice hockey with boys on the Tampa Bay Junior Lightning as an elementary school student.<ref name="shape-2015">{{Cite news|last=Menza|first=Kaitlin|date=2015-10-06|title=Meet Dani Rylan, the Commissioner of the NWHL|work=Shape Magazine|url=https://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/meet-dani-rylan-founder-nwhl|url-status=live|access-date=2018-05-25|archive-date=2018-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525132654/https://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/meet-dani-rylan-founder-nwhl}}</ref> She attended boarding school at the St. Mark's School in New England and was captain of the girls' hockey team.<ref name="shape-2015"/>
Prior to joining Northeastern University, Rylan played one season with the Division II club program at the Metropolitan State College of Denver, a men's team that competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. She earned a broadcasting journalism degree at Metro State in 2010.<ref name="espn-bigplans-2015">{{cite web|last=Borzi|first=Pat|url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/story/_/id/12662700/big-plans-big-questions-new-women-pro-hockey-league|title=Big Plans, Big Questions For New Women's Pro Hockey League|publisher=ESPN|date=April 10, 2015|access-date=April 10, 2015|archive-date=April 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411154344/http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/12662700/big-plans-big-questions-new-women-pro-hockey-league|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Career stats=== {| class="wikitable" style="width:80%;" |- style="text-align:center; background:red; color:white;" | '''Season'''||'''Team''' || '''GP''' || '''G''' || '''A'''|| '''P''' ||'''PIM''' || '''PPG''' || '''SHG'''|| '''GWG''' |- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="" |2010–11<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscho.com/stats/player/wid,7970/dani-rylan/#20102011 |title=Player Stats | Year by Year | Dani Rylan :: Statistics :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online |website=USCHO.com |date= |accessdate=2016-12-02 |archive-date=2016-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306082846/http://www.uscho.com/stats/player/wid,7970/dani-rylan/#20102011 |url-status=live }}</ref>||Northeastern||37||3||7||10||20||0||0||1 |- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="" |2011–12||Northeastern||33||3||7||10||16||0||0||2 |}
==Executive career== Rylan was inspired to create a women's league while watching the United States and Canadian national teams play in the finals of the 2014 Winter Olympics and began researching the new business opportunity.<ref name="shape-2015" /> She began calling people she knew in ice hockey circles and the plans for the league began within a year.<ref name="shape-2015" /> She contacted players, conducted research on markets, held training camps, created four teams, and scheduled the venues.<ref name="shape-2015" />
On October 12, 2020, Rylan stepped down as commissioner and was replaced by Tyler Tumminia as interim commissioner during a league reorganization. The league changed its governing model to an incorporated association overseen by a board of governors with one representative per team. Rylan remained with the league to oversee the Beauts, Whale, Riveters, and Whitecaps while it searched for independent ownership of the league-operated teams before resigning from that role in March 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AP Source: NWHL founder Rylan stepping down as commissioner |url=https://www.startribune.com/ap-source-nwhl-founder-rylan-stepping-down-as-commissioner/572721681/ |access-date=October 13, 2020 |website=Star Tribune |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030085524/https://www.startribune.com/ap-source-nwhl-founder-rylan-stepping-down-as-commissioner/572721681/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Dani Rylan Kearney Resigns from NWHL, W Hockey Partners|url=https://www.premierhockeyfederation.com/news/dani-rylan-kearney-resigns-from-nwhl|access-date=2022-01-06|website=Premier Hockey Federation|archive-date=2022-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106160320/https://www.premierhockeyfederation.com/news/dani-rylan-kearney-resigns-from-nwhl|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Personal life== Rylan grew up in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. Her father worked in marketing for the Tampa Bay Lightning.<ref name="espn-bigplans-2015"/> After college, she moved to New York City and opened a coffee shop named Rise and Grind in East Harlem.<ref name="shape-2015" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.nwhl.zone/foundercommissioner NWHL bio]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rylan, Danis}} Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:American sports businesspeople Category:American sports executives and administrators Category:American women's ice hockey players Category:Edmonton Oilers scouts Category:Ice hockey people from Florida Category:Metropolitan State University of Denver alumni Category:New York Riveters Category:Northeastern Huskies women's ice hockey players Category:Northeastern University alumni Category:Premier Hockey Federation Commissioners Category:Sportspeople from Tampa, Florida Category:Women ice hockey executives Category:American women sports executives and administrators Category:21st-century American women