On April 18-19th, the Colorado Avalanche hosted its first annual Youth Girls Hockey Development Camp, presented by Toyota.
At the development camp, 48 girls ages 9-12 took part in six hours of on-ice instruction focused on skating, fundamental skills and game-like situations, led by high-level local girls hockey coaches, Olympians and professional coaches.
Off the ice, athletes participated in dryland training and yoga sessions focused on strength, mobility and overall athletic performance.
The weekend also featured interactive chalk talks and Q&A sessions with special guests, including Olympic gold medalist Abbey Murphy and Colorado Eagles Assistant Coach Kim Weiss.
“We are seeing a surge of female participation in hockey like never before,” said Avalanche Youth Hockey Development Program Manager Melissa DiPonio. “So it’s so important that we have opportunities for girls to have their own space to develop their skills. We hope that we can provide more opportunities like this moving forward.”
Additionally, players had the opportunity to attend a live Colorado Avalanche practice and tour the locker room.
Throughout the weekend, the focus remained on skill development, hockey IQ, and building confidence in a supportive, all-girls environment.
Murphy told ColoradoAvalanche.com that it was really special to see the participation at the development camp.
“Being on the ice, you hear a lot of girls talking about how much they love hockey, and anything that we can do to inspire these girls in sports,” Murphy said. “I was out on the ice and some girl said, “you’re the reason I started playing hockey,” and it hit me. That’s the whole reason why we’re playing this sport. I mean, hockey [is] the greatest sport in the world. But it’s so fun seeing these girls just playing with smiles on their face, and to be a part of this community is pretty fun.”
In five seasons at the University of Minnesota, Murphy set the women’s program record with 143 goals. At Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, she posted seven points (2g/5a) in seven contests and helped the United States Women’s National Team win its third gold medal. Murphy said she always takes it upon herself to be a role model for the next generation of women’s hockey players.
“I had my role models growing up when I was their age,” Murphy said. “You have people who can change your life and make that little tiny impact that can change your journey of how much you want to dream big and do the same things that I’m doing now. I had people like Kendall Coyne and Hilary Knight, who played in many Olympic [Winter Games]. Those are people that I looked up to because of how they acted, not just because they were so great at their sport, but just such great people. And like I said, any kind of impact you can make on a little girl who’s trying to dream big is pretty important.”
The success of Team USA’s Women’s Hockey team at Milano Cortina 2026 has brought with it a lot of momentum for the game. With that, Murphy said women’s hockey is on the rise.
“You see camps like this that are going on around the entire country,” Murphy said. “And it’s just so special to see. You’re seeing more and more girls sign up to play hockey, and our goal is just kind of to keep that wave coming and for it to never get low and just make sure they’re having fun.”
Another reason for the momentum that women’s hockey has is the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), the league that Murphy will be playing in next season.
“It’s unreal,” Murphy said about the league. “Obviously, when I was younger, you couldn’t really dream about anything further than the Olympics and stuff like that. But, you see how much it’s making an impact. They’re selling out stadiums like TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts) and Madison Square Garden (New York, New York). It’s so cool. You see games like that, and you see little girls watching those games where it’s like, now I have something to dream about to this day. But the PWHL’s amazing. They’re putting on so many great games. There’s so much talent in there, and I’m definitely looking forward to it next year.”
