BFL Female Coach of the Year

Julie Venselaar has always felt part of the hockey community in Powell River, B.C., and she hopes to foster a space for girls and women to grow and learn through the game.
Alicia MacDonald is creating opportunities for herself and others in hopes of bringing more diversity to the bench.
Haneet Parhar thought she was done with hockey after her university days, but coaching brought her back to the game.
Watch as Hockey Canada and BFL CANADA surprise the Female Coach of the Year winners with the big news!

Congratulations to the 2023 provincial and territorial winners:

Hockey Canada and BFL Canada recognize the country’s best women behind the bench with the BFL Female Coach of the Year award. This season, 21 deserving women have been honoured for their efforts.

There is arguably no more important role in hockey than that of the coach, who is tasked with guiding young players not only on the ice, but off it as well. They are leaders in hockey, and leaders in life.

COMMUNITY COMPETITIVE
Alberta

Kristy Wilson

Krista Wilson

Tara Swanson

Tara Swanson

British Columbia

Julie Venselaar

Julie Venselaar

Melanie Jue

Melanie Jue

Manitoba

Laura Cowling

Laura Cowling

Jessica Kaminsky

Jessica Kaminsky

New Brunswick

Julie Pelchat

Julie Pelchat

Kristen Nash

Kristen Nash

Newfoundland & Labrador

Shandie Chambers

Shandie Chambers

Alicia MacDonald

Alicia MacDonald

Nova Scotia

Lori Kinnear

Lori Kinnear

Ilsa van Oostrum

Ilsa van Oostrum

Hockey North

Courtney Fraser

Courtney Fraser

Kaylee Grant

Kaylee Grant

Ontario

Allyson Middaugh

Allyson Middaugh

Lindsay Oliver

Lindsay Oliver

Prince Edward Island

Sydney Powers

Sydney Powers

Jordan Miller

Jordan Miller

Quebec

Émilie Bouchard

Émilie Bouchard

Sina Bourbeau

Sina Bourbeau

Saskatchewan

Kristen Bear

Kristen Bear

--

What do the winners receive?

National winners of the BFL Female Coach of the Year award in the Competitive and Community categories will receive a $2,500 bursary and a trip to the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship.

The national winner in the High Performance category will receive a $5,000 bursary and an invitation to Canada’s National Women’s Team training camp in the summer of 2023.

Provincial and territorial winners will receive a $1,000 bursary.

How are the winners selected?

A selection committee is tasked with choosing the national winners from all nominations. This committee will include Canadian women's hockey leaders, accompanied by leaders from BFL CANADA and Hockey Canada.

About BFL Canada

Founded in 1987 by Barry F. Lorenzetti, BFL CANADA is one of the largest employee-owned and operated Risk Management, Insurance Brokerage and Employee Benefits Consulting Services firms in North America. The firm has a team of over 1000 professionals located in 23 offices across the country. BFL CANADA is a founding partner of Lockton Global LLP, a partnership of independent insurance brokers who provide Risk Management, Insurance and Benefits Consulting services in over 140 countries around the world. For more information, visit bflcanada.ca or follow on LinkedInTwitter and Facebook.

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