The NHL Coaches’ Association has the objective of helping to support the development of all coaches at all levels of the game. Recognizing the tremendous influence female coaches have on an athlete’s future in the game, earlier this year on International Women’s Day we proudly announced a new initiative to help support the development of female hockey coaches in particular.

The NHLCA Female Coaches Development Program aims to support coaches in several areas including skills development, leadership strategies, communication tactics, networking and career advancement opportunities.

As part of the joint efforts of the NHLCA and the AHCA Women’s Hockey Committee, we have setup a 4 week development program exclusively for NCAA women’s hockey coaches as an extension of the NHLCA Mentorship Program.

Each week of the 4 week program will have a different theme and include a session on Monday and Friday.

• The first session on Mondays will include a presentation on the selected topic from a female NCAA Women’s Hockey coach. Following her presentation, the NHLCA Mentor Coach will join in to provide feedback and prompt a collaborative discussion, and then the webinar is opened up for an open Q&A discussion with all participants.
• The second session on Fridays will include a presentation from the NHLCA Mentor Coach on that week’s selected topic followed by an open Q&A session for all participants.

Week 1: Forward and Defense Skills

Session 1: Presented by Lee-J Mirasolo, Associate Head Coach, Harvard University Women’s Hockey
April 27, 2020

Session 2: Presented by Todd Woodcroft, Former Assistant Coach, Winnipeg Jets
May 1, 2020

Week 2: Power Play

Session 1: Presented by Liz Keady Norton, Associate Head Coach, Boston University Women’s Hockey
May 4, 2020

Session 2: Presented by Glen Gulutzan, Assistant Coach, Edmonton Oilers
May 8, 2020

Week 3: Practice Planning

Session 1: Presented by Cassie Turner, Head Coach, Quinnipiac University Women’s Hockey
May 11, 2020

Session 2: Presented by Jamie Kompon, Associate Coach, Winnipeg Jets
May 15, 2020

Week 4: Team Culture

Session 1: Presented by Bethany Brausen, Assistant Coach, University of Minnesota Women’s Hockey
May 18, 2020

Session 2: Presented by Ryan Craig, Assistant Coach, Vegas Golden Knights
May 22, 2020