PWHL connection goes beyond the ice
New women’s professional league is well represented behind the benches of national teams
UTICA, N.Y. The pipeline between the new Professional Women’s Hockey League and the world championship extends beyond players.
Three of six PWHL head coaches are behind Canada’s bench in this year’s event. Former Canadian team defender Carla MacLeod is head coach of both Czechia and PWHL Ottawa.
Canada’s general manager Gina Kingsbury wears the same hat with PWHL Toronto.
Troy Ryan, of Spryfield, N.S., is head coach of both Canada and PWHL Toronto. Kori Cheverie (PWHL Montreal) and Courtney Kessel (PWHL Boston) are his Canadian team assistants.
They say they arrived at this year’s world championship with a deeper knowledge of the Canadians and opposing players because they’ve spent so much more time around them since the PWHL opened Jan. 1.
“There’s an advantage that we have a number of coaches in the league, Kori in Montreal, Courtney in Boston,” Ryan said. “There’s an advantage to that just because we’re seeing players on a daily basis either with us or competing against us.
“You should always be looking at it from your club team, but you’re constantly evaluating situations that are going to benefit the national team as well. It’s still such a small league that you’re still getting to see everybody five or six times. You’ve got a lot better data sample.”
Canada (2-0) had Saturday off. It concludes Group A with back-toback games Sunday against Czechia (1-1) and Monday versus the defending champion U.S. (2-0).
Another assistant coach for Ryan in Utica is Hockey Hall of Famer Caroline Ouellette, who is an associate head coach with the Concordia Stingers, this year’s national U Sports champions.
PWHL players dominate Canada’s roster with a dozen of the 19 coached by either Ryan, Cheverie or Kessel in that league.
Another 20 PWHLers are sprinkled across seven other countries here. Kessel coaches three U.S. players in Boston, including American star Hilary Knight.
Kessel, who is the sister-in-law of NHL player Phil Kessel, played in three world championships for Canada and won gold in 2012.
The 34-year-old from Mississauga coached in the defunct CWHL and in the NCAA, and coached Canada’s under-18 team before ascending to both the national team and the PWHL.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Kessel said. “These women are professionals, the way they carry themselves and the way they train. We talk about what’s this three-week (international) break going to look like? They’re going to get better during this three weeks, whether they’re here at worlds or whether they’re in Montreal or in Boston or Ottawa.
“It’s been just really rewarding to walk in at a young age not too far removed from the game and to be able to have a lasting impact on the growth of our game.”