NHL, Jets put $150,000 into girls-only hockey program

The NHL and the Winnipeg Jets announced a $150,000 investment Friday to expand hockey opportunities for girls and women in Winnipeg and across Manitoba, two days before the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

The money comes from the league’s NHL Unites Legacy Project program and will establish and support a girls-only Learn to Play program run by Jets Hockey Development, the NHL said in a news release. The league described it as the first program of its kind in Winnipeg, open to girls aged 6 to 10 who are new to the game and taught by an all-woman coaching staff.

The Jets and Montreal Canadiens meet in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on Sunday, Oct. 25. The Canadiens are coming off a 4-1 win over Chicago, while the Jets traded Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey on Friday.

The first session launched Sept. 2 at hockey for all centre with a welcome event for 40 girls and their families, the NHL said. It has since wrapped with a graduation ceremony, and registration for a spring session is open. Olivia LaRoche of the Seattle Kraken, the first recipient of the league’s Women’s Hockey Advancement Committee fellowship, spoke at the welcome event.

A separate $30,000 grant from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund, supported by the committee, will pay for women coaches, program resources and efforts to keep players in the sport. The Jets will also host the second annual committee fellowship, run with College Hockey Inc., which gives a student-athlete graduating in 2027 a full-time, year-long placement with the organization.

“Growing hockey for girls and women is essential to the future of our sport,” said Annie Chipman Stockl, vice-president of marketing for True North Sports + Entertainment. “This Legacy Project will create new entry points for first-time players.”

Kim Davis, the NHL’s senior executive vice-president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs, said the project is meant to “make hockey more welcoming, accessible and fun for girls and young women.”

The NHL said it, its clubs and partners have invested more than $9.2 million in Legacy Projects since 2003.

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Via NHL.com.