#1 Key To Playing Women’s College Hockey

By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

More girls’ hockey players than ever are looking to play at the college or university level.  But figuring out exactly how to get there can be a confusing process. 

I know when I was going through the whole process 10 years ago, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing.  I was definitely not a “blue chip” recruit.  The college scouts weren’t filling my mailbox with recruiting letters or calling me every night to talk.  I was a good student and a good athlete, who just happened to be playing at a high-level when girls’ hockey “exploded”, and there were a lot of opportunities to play college hockey. 

Here’s how the whole women’s college hockey recruiting process went for me.  I got noticed by a few scouts, they sent me recruiting letters, I went on my recruiting trips and I chose my school.  It all seems simple enough now, but it was a very hard process to go through at the time. I didn’t know anyone else who had played college hockey, and I had no idea what I should, and shouldn’t, be doing in order to get to the school of my dreams.  From the moment I received my first recruiting letter in the mail, to the day I finally chose what school I wanted to attend, I constantly felt lost.  It all worked out for me in the end, but I spent entirely too much time and energy trying to figure it out on my own.

Now that I am coaching aspiring female hockey players on a daily basis, players and parents are always asking me for advice on how to get a women’s college hockey scholarship.  I thought I knew a lot about the process after going through it myself ten years ago and watching hundreds of other players go through it as well.   But as it turns out, I knew very little.  When I look back on how I dealt with the whole process, from the time I first decided that I wanted to play college hockey all the way to picking my school, I am amazed that I ended up anywhere at all.

Ten years ago, no one was using expensive recruiting services or sending out highlight videos to coaches.  If you were “good enough”, the scouts came to your games, the recruiting letters came in the mail and you went from there.   Now, the world of women’s hockey is completely different.  There are more girls playing hockey than ever and there are more than 100 college teams in the US and Canada to choose from.  That means that they are more opportunities than ever to play at the college and university level, but there are also more players vying for those precious scholarships and spots on the team.

I have asked dozens of women’s college hockey coaches and scouts what players need to do in order to get noticed and end up playing hockey at the school of their dreams.  Their number one piece of advice for players and parents is to be as proactive as possible.  If you sit around waiting to get noticed and for the recruiting letters to come flooding in, the opportunity to play at the school of your dreams might pass you by.   Whether you are a “blue chip” prospect with college coaches knocking down your door or a “diamond in the rough” with big dreams, you need to take action.

Do your research.  Start looking on-line at all the opportunities that are out there for girls to study and play at college and university.  No one expects you to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life when you are still in high school, but you need to start narrowing it down as early as you can in order to make the best possible choice for you.  The more you know about the whole process, the more power you have. 

Girls’ hockey is more competitive than ever, and the competition for scholarships and roster spots at the college and university level is fierce.  The opportunities to play at the next level are there, and if players and parents take the initiative to make their hockey dreams a reality, they can end up with the perfect fit academically and athletically.

© Total Female Hockey 2008

Kim McCullough, YCS, MSc, is a Athletic Development Specialist and founder of Total Female Hockey. In addition to training and coaching girls at all levels of hockey, from novice to the National team, Kim has also played at the highest level of women’s hockey in the world for the last decade. Kim’s female player development website features a state-of-the-art Complete Off-Season Training Program and her blog gives the coaches and parents of aspiring young players access to the most up-to-date tips and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level. To learn more about female-specific player development, get your Free Report: The #1 Mistake Female Players Make in the Off-Season at http://www.totalfemalehockey.com