A new organization in Edmonton is aiming to make Alberta’s capital city known for its female hockey players and give them more competitive opportunities.
The Edmonton Female Hockey Alliance (EFHA) introduced on Wednesday in front of Rogers Place its three divisions: the Edmonton Flurries, Edmonton Storm and Edmonton Ice.
The association plans to draw all minor hockey girl players in the city under its umbrella within a year.
“There’s an awful lot we can do in terms of programming on the ice, in terms of delivering experiences that really fit the level of playing and interest and age and caliber of every player and allows us to make teams that really fit each of their players,” committee chair Aimee Skye told media.
“Outside of the experience on the ice, it provides an incredible amount of resources, whether those are volunteer resources, whether they are networks of parents and players who can help us with all of the things we need to run a large organization, or whether that’s sponsors, funders and investors.
“By the time you have 1,000 players, 2,000 parents, 4,000 grandparents, and all the networks that you have, that organization has incredible reach.”
To start, EFHA will operate and manage the city’s U13 division, plus one premier top-tier team at the U9 and U11 levels, for the 2023-24 season.
It’ll take its player registrations from about 200 this year to 1,000 when it expands next year.
“When we look at women’s hockey on the national scene, I’m not sure Edmonton is recognized enough right now as a powerhouse in hockey. Calgary certainly is. Ontario certainly is. Maybe some parts in B.C.,” Skye commented. “We’ve got 1,250 players at least. We’ve got incredible talent in the city of Edmonton. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be a powerhouse on the provincial and national scene.”
The players who were at the event on Wednesday were excited for a variety of reasons.
“In the initiation, I quit because of the boys stinking,” one player told CTV News Edmonton – to the agreement of those around her.
“In U13 you get your own dressing room so it’s a little better,” a teammate chimed in.
“Boys are stinky and they don’t pass to girls,” Skye’s daughter, Jocelyn, pointed out.
“We have to [play harder]… because otherwise they won’t pass to you. You have to show you’re better than them,” another player agreed.
But beyond smells and passes, they also said they were looking forward to building more friendships.
“Usually [girls] get stuck playing mixed and usually there’s only one or two girls, so it’s not exactly easy to connect with them,” Anastasia Fedorak told CTV News Edmonton.
Jocelyn remembered this from her novice years: “There was only me and my friend on the team and I was pretty much just alone.”
One player said hearing of the new all-girls association was “very reassuring.”
“That matters a lot to their play. It matters a lot to their confidence on and off the ice, and it matters a lot to the experience they take away and their lifelong relationships,” Skye said of fitting into a community.
Girls will still be able to choose to play co-ed. According to the committee chair, some do this because they believe that’s where the competitive opportunities are.
“If we continue the direction we’re going and have the success that we’re striving for, the impact is we should be able to convince them that they can come and play on all-female teams and have exactly the competitive developmental experience,” Skye said.
The logo for the introductory division, Edmonton Flurries, is a swirling snowflake; the Edmonton Storm a blizzard storm; and the Edmonton Ice an ice cap. They will share a mascot, a lynx.
Hockey Edmonton and the Edmonton Oil Kings are working with the EFHA.
Wednesday morning before the event, the Oil Kings lent their gym to the EFHA for a workout.
“Their energy is contagious. We just can’t wait to see where this develops years from now,” said Kevin Radmonski, the director of the Oil Kings’ business operations.
As well, EFHA announced on Wednesday its first corporate partner, piping union Local 488, which will be helping the organization buy equipment and jerseys in its first two years.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jessica Robb