Players turned coaches serve as inspiration for female athletes

Four former elite hockey players who moved behind the bench are using their positions and experience to grow the female game and mentor young players in New Brunswick.

Head coach Geneviève David and assistant coaches Jocelyn LeBlanc, Kristen Mckinley, Taylor Maschmeyer make up the all-female coaching staff of the U18 female hockey team which will represent New Brunswick at the Canada Winter Games in 2023. All four have extensive experience playing high performance and university hockey before they hung up their skates to lead the next generation of players.

“Seeing our female staff for the Canada Games, I think it is incredible,” says Maschmeyer. “We’re all a part of the game in different ways, with different coaching and playing experiences. You don’t have to have played the game to be a coach, but it’s pretty remarkable to see that we all have a hockey resume as well as a coaching resume. I think that’s really unique and inspiring.”

David is currently an assistant coach with the St. Thomas University women’s team, which secured the Atlantic University Sport championship in 2019. She has also coached HNB’s high performance female teams before and has a handful of Atlantic Challenge Cup titles from the past few years. 

Her playing history includes two silver medals with Team Quebec at the National Women’s U18 Championships, a season with the CWHL Quebec Phenix, and an accomplished career with the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues. In David’s first season, she won an AUS championship, nabbed bronze at the USport national championship, and was female rookie of the year for the university. She was named assistant captain in her second year and captain for her final two seasons with the team. 

LeBlanc played in HNB’s high performance program for four years and was a member of Team New Brunswick at the Canada Winter Games in 2007. She attended Dalhousie University, where she was a five-time AUS all-star and is still the all-time leading scorer for Dal’s women’s hockey program. She won a gold medal at the FISU World University Games with the national women’s hockey team. She has served as a coach of the high-performance female program with HNB and attended Hockey Canada’s National Women’s U18 camp as a coach. 

Mckinley played in HNB’s high performance program for four years, including as a member of Team New Brunswick at the Canada Winter Games in 2015 and on Team Atlantic in 2015 and 2016. She was on Canada’s U18 team in a three-game series against the United States and played hockey at St. Francis Xavier University for four years. Mckinley first took on a coaching role at the age of 12 and now coaches with the EDZA South U15 AAA Female Hericanes; she played on the first-ever Hericanes team in 2011.

Maschmeyer was part of HNB’s U18 team for two years, including serving as assistant captain of Team New Brunswick at the Canada Winter Games in 2011. She became captain of the team the following year. Maschmeyer then played for St. Francis Xavier University, winning the AUS championship and national bronze medal in her first season. She was rookie of the year for the university before serving as assistant captain of the team in her second year. Maschmeyer was named captain for her final two years, receiving the AUS most sportsmanlike player award both seasons. She was head coach of the HNB U18 female team in 2021 and is currently head coach of the Oromocto High School AAA Blues.

The choice to transition from playing to coaching was easy for all four players, but they all faced a similar challenge: the lack of female mentors they had as players.

“I picked up things from coaches I had in the past, but I never had a female role model as a coach when I was a player growing up,” David says. “That was a challenge when I became a coach. So now I want to pass on my knowledge and make sure there are young women involved in coaching who can serve as role models.”

Additionally, all four played on various male teams growing up, since playing exclusively with their female peers usually wasn’t an option. But they all see the tide turning, with more opportunities available for female players today.

“It’s way different than when I grew up,” says LeBlanc. “I didn’t start playing hockey with girls until high school, whereas now they can play on an all-female team right from the start. It’s important to have that option for girls to explore where they want to go.”

The staff recognizes the important role they’ve been given, and also the unique situation they find themselves in. Each coach has lived these experiences and can relate to their players’ ambitions for the future.

“When I was at the U18 Team Canada camp, one quote that stuck with me was, ‘We’re here to create good hockey players and better people,’” says Mckinley. “We’re playing a very crucial role in their development.”

Above all, they recognize the importance of being a resource and mentor for female players who may one day also make the transition to a coaching or leadership role. 

“I’m a huge believer in ‘if you can see it, you can be it,’” says LeBlanc. “If you can see this representation, not only playing but coaching and officiating, then people can strive to be that as they get older. HNB created an all-female staff and the visibility is important for young female players.”