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
“Rink Rebels has created something so much bigger than a hockey tournament.”
Marlène BoissonnaultMinnesota Frost2× Walter Cup Champion
Read Marlène’s full message
Being part of the Rink Rebels Icebreaker Friendship Tournament was incredibly special for me. As someone who grew up in New Brunswick, being able to come home and be part of an event that celebrates and elevates female hockey in such a meaningful way truly means the world to me. Rink Rebels has created something so much bigger than a hockey tournament. The organization, energy, attention to detail, and experiences they provide these young athletes are incredible. You can feel the heart behind every part of the weekend, and it’s clear they’re creating memories and opportunities that these girls will carry with them for years to come.
It was an honour to spend time with the next generation of female hockey players and hopefully inspire them in even a small way. I’m incredibly proud to see something this special happening in my home province, and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it.
10 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 BoissonnaultMinnesota Frost · PWHL
2025 Walter Cup champion and 2026 Intact Impact Award recipient. Cornell’s second-winningest goaltender.
Sarah BujoldNew York Sirens · 2025/2026
2017 U SPORTS Player of the Year and First Team All-Canadian, with professional experience in North America and Sweden.
Tamara GiaquintoMontréal Victoire · PWHL
Former Boston University captain and Hockey East Defender of the Year, now competing in the PWHL.
Katie SweeneySt. Thomas Tommies · 2025/2026
2026 AUS Most Valuable Player and AUS First Team All-Star. A standout goaltender and leader for the Tommies.
Kat PelowichHV71 · SDHL
Made the move to Sweden’s top women’s league after five seasons of university hockey, finishing her collegiate career with Concordia.
Abby HustlerPWHL Hamilton
Prince Edward Island’s first PWHL player. Selected 14th overall in the 2025 draft and recorded 13 points in her rookie season.
Olivia WallinPWHL Detroit
2025 PWHL draft selection and a 40-point scorer in her final season at Minnesota Duluth. Led NCAA Division I freshmen with 13 goals at Penn State.
Ava WoodColgate Raiders · NCAA
Team Canada U18 gold medallist and Colgate forward. The Oromocto native scored four goals in her first NCAA season.
Emily ThomasUNB REDS · 2026/2027
Fredericton-born forward taking the next step with UNB REDS women’s hockey for the 2026/2027 season.
Sarah MacEachernCornell Big Red · 2025/2026
2022 U18 world champion with Team Canada. The PEI defender earned Cornell’s 2026 Ronald P. Lynch Senior Spirit Award for leadership on and off the ice.
Leading the conversation
Our evening host and moderators.
Eric Neilson
Master of ceremonies
2014 AHL Man of the Year and Yanick Dupré Memorial Award recipient for community service. Former professional player and Rink Rebels coach.
Sarah Hilworth
Event moderator
Head coach, UNB REDS women’s hockey. National winner of the 2022 BFL Female Coach of the Year award in the High Performance category.
Jake Allen
Event moderator
2019 Stanley Cup champion with St. Louis and New Jersey Devils goaltender.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. Sarah Hilworth, head coach of UNB REDS women’s hockey, and NHL goaltender Jake Allen served as event moderators, guiding 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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