‘Really taken off’: Youth women’s hockey camp a sign of a growing sport: Hockey Saskatchewan

Hockey Saskatchewan has seen a rise in its province-wide training camp and tournament for U-13 female youth. (Sierra D'Souza Butts/CTV News)

Women’s hockey continues to grow in the province as the Saskatchewan First Female Futures program received more than 100 participants for its two-weekend event.

Hosted by Hockey Saskatchewan, the U-13 province-wide camp and tournament provides an opportunity for youth to further develop their skills while training competitively.

“This is a stepping stone to our Sask. [Female] First U-16 program,” explained Matt Miller, who serves as the senior coordinator for Hockey Development Grassroots of Hockey Saskatchewan.

“This gets the girls involved, allows them to play with other girls in the province, just before they enter the U-16 program.”

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The first portion of the program focuses on players working through various techniques, such as shooting, puck handling, skating and checking, as well as two 45-minute games.

The second and final portion will consist of a “tournament weekend” taking place in May.

Sitting at 128 players, Miller said the program has maximized its registration capacity since starting a decade ago.

“In our province, female hockey has really taken off. It’s great to see all these girls, you know, from U-7 to U-9 all the way up to U-18 playing hockey in the province,” he shared.

“At this camp here, we have girls on the same team who can be from Estevan or who can be from La Ronge. We group them from all over so they are not separated from north and south.”

The Females Futures tournament weekend will be held from May 9-11.