Elite goalie camp earns rave reviews

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This article was published 05/07/2023 (1188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kristen Campbell had been a top-flight goaltender for many years.

More recently, the 25-year-old member of Canada’s national women’s hockey team has developed a keen interest in teaching the game, and so the Kristen Campbell Elite Goaltending Camp was created in 2022.

A year later, the second edition of Campbell’s four-day school for young players is gathering steam. Twenty-five female puckstoppers from across the country, ages 11 to 17, are attending this week’s event at Winnipeg’s hockey for all centre.

“It’s really special to be able to share my journey with these girls, especially because growing up I never had opportunities like this — I was always in camps with all boys,” said Campbell, a Brandon product. “I was always the only girl out of the 25. And now seeing what we’ve created here — a full female hockey goalie camp — it’s incredible that these girls get to come and train alongside the coaching staff we have.”

Campbell isn’t doing this alone.

She assembled a staff of the province’s best experts at the position, including Ohio State netminder Raygan Kirk of Ste. Anne, Oakbank product Meagan Relf of the University of Manitoba, Winnipegger Logan Angers of Quinnipiac University, Premier Hockey Federation goaltender of the year Corinne Schroeder of Elm Creek and Winnipeg-based technical experts Gord Woodall and Andy Kollar.

“For me, it’s more about trying to make the best product possible,” said Campbell. “We’ve brought in a lot of things that I use to teach the girls kind of what it looks like to be an Olympic goaltender and what it looks like to be a professional women’s hockey goaltender.”

The camp, which wraps up Thursday, is getting rave reviews from the participants.

“It’s been absolutely awesome,” said Abby Pastorius, a 14-year-old from Guelph, Ont. “We get lessons in the morning on our nutrition and vision and how to work with ourselves in our mental prep. And then on ice, we always do skating… You get to learn edge work and you know how to control your body.”

Campbell’s profile on Canada’s Olympic gold medal-winning squad was a big draw for Pastorius.

“She’s an amazing goalie and I’ve always really loved watching her and I kind of just really wanted to learn from her,” said Pastorius.

Eleven-year-old Maddy Holland of Victoria, B.C., has found a very welcoming environment.

“All the girls all super nice and the coaches are nice and helpful at the same time,” said Holland. “It’s been interesting and definitely very informative as well.”

In 2023, Campbell has added another level of sophistication by including camp sessions with a dietician as well as a sports vision trainer, Dr. Christopher Woo, aiming to help participants improve their puck-tracking skills.

Kylie Hack, a 14-year-old from Reston, is only three years into her goaltending career but is eager to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

“I play high-end hockey,” said Hack. “I play with the U18 Westman Wildcats and I play for the Manitoba Mavericks. So, I’ve improved a lot over my years and it looks like I’ve been playing goalie for quite a long time.”

Campbell is also getting kudos for her ability to inspire.

“She is showing me to never give up on your goals and to push yourself when you think you’re not going to make it,” said Hack. “And she’s somebody I look up to. Every time I’m going on the ice, I always think I can make it as far as Kristen did if I work hard enough.”

While Campbell is refining her coaching chops, her playing career is undergoing some major changes.

The PHF and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association announced a merger Friday with an intention of starting a new league in January. Six franchises — three in Canada and three in the U.S. — are expected to participate in its inaugural season but there are many unknowns about the new venture.

“It’s pretty crazy to see how far the women’s game has come and now more opportunities for us as well,” said Campbell. “And now the next step is to make those salaries a little more equal, and make sure it’s going be a liveable (wage) now and the goal of the league is to keep upgrading (salaries) every year.”

Campbell and Schroeder are expected to be among the 136 players chosen to participate. A player dispersal draft will be conducted this summer, with training camps tentatively planned for November.

Campbell understands the six franchises can’t possibly make room for all the player talent available. The PHF had seven teams last season while the PWHPA operated four teams at showcase events in 2022-23.

“We don’t want to lose girls because that defeats the purpose of growing the game,” said Campbell. “But we also want to grow the game to a place where we have the best in the world playing in one league, where we can make a living wage, where we get the resources we deserve, where everything is fully professional and we don’t have two leagues that seem to be competing with each other.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14