RINK REBELS01 SKILL
Learn from experience.
Direct instruction and thoughtful feedback gave each player a chance to improve in an encouraging, high energy environment.
A Rink Rebels Event Story
Training
With the
Pros.
Rink Rebels created a full day experience that brought young players face to face with women who had already found success in hockey.
When girls can see the path, they can believe it is theirs.
Player developmentDirect mentorshipCommunity impact
9 athlete mentorsProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience brought directly to young players
400 peoplePlayers, families, athletes, coaches, and community members gathered at the Playhouse
1 connected visionDevelop skill, build confidence, create belonging, and open more doors for girls in sport
What Rink Rebels created
More than a practice.
Training With the Pros gave girls direct access to athletes who had already travelled the road they were working toward. The players trained together, received feedback, asked real questions, and saw that success in hockey is built by people they could know and learn from.
The experience connected development with inspiration. It helped girls understand the work behind higher levels of play while also showing them that hockey can build confidence, attitude, friendships, leadership, and a lifelong sense of belonging.
This was not simply about finding the next professional player. It was about helping every participant see that there is a place for her in the sport.
On the ice
Development with a bigger purpose.
The young players learned from athletes they could look up to. They also heard honestly about confidence, setbacks, perseverance, preparation, and the attitude required to keep moving forward.
02 BELIEF
See what is possible.
Girls could train beside women who had reached university, professional, and elite levels of the game.
03 CONNECTION
Ask the real questions.
Time with the athletes turned role models into real people and opened honest conversations about the journey.
The lasting value
Growing players. Growing confidence. Growing the sport.
Girls did not simply hear that opportunities exist. They stood beside women who had pursued those opportunities.
The message applied to every participant, from the newest player to the athlete chasing her next competitive step.
The experience reinforced courage, resilience, attitude, friendship, and the willingness to take up space.
Every visible pathway helps make women’s hockey more welcoming, ambitious, and connected for the next generation.
The women who showed the way
Experience made personal.
The mentor group brought experience from professional hockey, university hockey, and high level competitive programs. Together, they gave players a wider view of what achievement can look like.
Marlène BoissonnaultProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Sarah BujoldProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Tamara GiaquintoProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Katie SweeneyProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Kat PelowichProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Abby HustlerProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Olivia WallinProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Ava WoodProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
Emily ThomasProfessional, university, and elite hockey experience
The evening experience
Women of Hockey:
Lessons From the Ice.
The day continued at the Fredericton Playhouse, where approximately 400 players, families, athletes, coaches, and community members gathered for a conversation about hockey beyond wins and losses.
Eric Neilson served as master of ceremonies. NHL goaltender Jake Allen and UNB REDS Women’s Hockey Head Coach Sarah Hilworth helped guide discussions about the experiences of women in hockey and the many paths available within the game.
For the girls in the audience, the evening made one thing clear. A life in hockey can include playing, coaching, officiating, leadership, mentorship, business, community work, and much more.
LeadershipConfidencePerseveranceMentorshipCoaching and officiatingUniversity and professional hockey
Growing the sport
Success should be something girls can see.
Rink Rebels is helping move the culture of women’s hockey forward by making opportunity visible, accessible, and personal. Seeing women who have succeeded creates belief. Training beside them builds confidence. Sharing the experience with other girls creates friendships and a stronger community.
The most important message was simple. No matter her starting point, competitive level, or long term destination, there is a place for every girl in this sport.
A model worth growing
Help open the next door.
Training With the Pros showed what becomes possible when athletes, coaches, families, facilities, community leaders, and partners work toward one shared goal.
With the right support, Rink Rebels can bring this model to more girls, more communities, and more people who want to move women’s sport forward.
Reach more young playersReduce barriers to participationExpand direct mentorshipCreate more leadership pathways
Partner With Rink RebelsThe Rink Rebels difference
More than training. A culture in motion.
Development was the starting point. Confidence, friendship, possibility, and belonging were the lasting result.
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