Girls get skills, mentorship at Hockey PEI clinics

Hockey PEI hosted a skills day for girls on Thursday, part of a larger push to get more girls involved in the sport and to be exposed to role models and mentors.

​Organizers said the Program of Excellence skills clinic is about more than just practising drills and working on stick handling, it's about giving Island girls more opportunities to get in the game.

The sessions in the Community Gardens Arena in Kensington were open to any girls in peewee or atom hockey on P.E.I. The clinics focused on developing fundamental skills, such as skating and puck control.

Growing participation

But they are also part of an effort to increase participation in girls' hockey on the Island. ​

I think having female role models is really important in hockey because when I was younger it wasn't as common and now there's a lot more female coaches, which is a really great example.- Midget AAA player Madeline Hamill

​According to Hockey PEI, there are more than 1,000 girls playing minor hockey and this number has grown steadily over the last two years.

"We're really trying to grow the female game and we really want to focus on grassroots," said Jen MacDonald, director of female hockey for Hockey PEI. 

"So we want to provide opportunities for those girls that are new to hockey, we've done a few initiatives and those are just starting out, but we also want to do some development opportunities for those girls who are already playing." 

The sessions were all led by female coaches and senior players from provincial teams. MacDonald said the clinics also provided these players with coaching experience.

Female role models

Madeline Hamill plays for the Midget AAA Wildcats and said the clinics are a valuable way for young players to make connections with other players across the province and to learn from the more experienced players.

"I think having female role models is really important in hockey because when I was younger it wasn't as common and now there's a lot more female coaches which is a really great example," Hamill said.

Organizers  plan to host two more clinics for peewee and atom players this winter and to add others, for goaltending skills.  They hope to build a bigger community of mentorship for female hockey players on P.E.I.