BUFFALO, N.Y. — The National Women's Hockey League announced Monday that the Buffalo Beauts have been sold.
The Beauts along with the Minnesota Whitecaps were sold by W Hockey Partners to NLTT Ventures, LLC.
“Since the adoption of the league’s new governance model in October, it has been our goal to attract new owners who are well-capitalized and fully committed to club operations and our vision for this league’s future,” said NWHL Commissioner Tyler Tumminia. “With these two sales, all six teams are now in independent hands and that provides a strong foundation on which to expand opportunities for professional women’s hockey players in North America.”
According to a release put out by the NWHL, the league is transitioning from a single entity to a joint venture ownership model.
That will allow owners to hold more than one club for a limited time period, but they will then be required to divest so no one ownership group owns more than one team.
“On behalf of NLTT Ventures I want to thank all WHP investors for their support and contributions to the initial development and growth phase of professional women’s hockey,” said Andy Scurto, who leads NHTT Ventures, LLC. “Looking ahead, I’m very proud that Neil and I can help advance the NWHL business model and provide Beauts and Whitecaps players with the resources and environment they need to achieve their dreams and be role models for future generations of hockey players.”
The Buffalo Beauts were one of the NWHL's original four teams that competed in the 2015-16 season. They also won the Isobel Cup Championship in 2016-17. The team is led by General Manager Nate Oliver and new head coach Rhea Coad.
