RED DEER – Hockey Alberta has selected Ashley Shrode (Barrhead) to lead Team Alberta as the head coach of the 2021 U18 Female team.
Joining Shrode on the bench as assistant coaches are Shanya Shwetz (Edmonton) and Chris Leeming (Olds). Rounding out the coaching staff are Annette Jensen (Lloydminster) as video coach and Marlène Boissonnault (Calgary) as goaltending coach.
“It is an exciting time for Team Alberta as we get to resume our selection process for the 2021 U18 Women’s National Championships,” said Kendall Newell, Manager, Female Hockey for Hockey Alberta. “We are extremely pleased to announce this staff group and to get the process started as we look forward to summer camp.”
| POSITION | NAME | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Hockey Operations | Kendall Newell | Red Deer |
| Coach Mentor | Barry Medori | Spruce Grove |
| Head Coach | Ashley Shrode | Barrhead |
| Assistant Coach | Shanya Shwetz | Edmonton |
| Assistant Coach | Chris Leeming | Olds |
| Video Coach | Annette Jensen | Lloydminster |
| Goalie Coach | Marlène Boissonnault | Calgary |
Team Alberta will hold summer camp in August in Red Deer to select the U18 Female team that will represent the province at the 2021 Women’s National Championships slated for later this fall in Dawson Creek, BC.
Shrode was named the 2021 BFL Female Community Coach of the Year for Alberta, and has spent her most recent years coaching in the Barrhead and Whitecourt Minor Hockey Associations. She has also spent time within the Team Alberta program as a Head Coach at the 2018 Alberta Winter Games and 2019 Alberta Challenge, before moving on to become a Coach Mentor at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games.
Shwetz has spent the past three years with the Edmonton Female Athletic Club (EFAC) as a head and assistant coach with the U15 AA Pandas. With Team Alberta, her experience has been vast, as she has coached at the U16 Female Summer Camp twice, was an assistant coach at the 2019 Alberta Challenge, and head coach at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games. At the U18 level, Shwetz was named as the video coach for the 2019 Women’s National Championships in Morden & Winkler, MB. She was also named as the Alberta’s BFL Female High Performance Coach of the Year in 2019.
Leeming is the heading into his fourth season as head coach of the ACAC’s Olds College Broncos, where he was named the 2019-20 ACAC Women’s Hockey Coach of the Year. He has been a head coach at both the 2019 Alberta Challenge and 2020 Alberta Winter Games.
Jensen is the head coach of the Lloydminster U18AAA PWM Steelers, with ten years of coaching experience, and Boissonnault is currently a goaltender with Team Scotiabank of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association and goaltender coach with Top Prospects Goaltending.
Other members of the staff for Team Alberta U18 Female include: Barry Medori (Spruce Grove), coach mentor; and Kendall Newell (Red Deer), director of operations.
Registration for Team Alberta’s U18 Female Summer Camp, Fuelled by Gatorade, which will take place on August 10-15 (dates determined by region), is now open.