Islanders Making an Impact in Girls’ Hockey

When Tiombe Richardson and her 11-year-old daughter Velene moved from Westchester to Long Island six years ago, they were immersed in an area with new rinks and opportunities for a young skater.

“She always had an interest in skating but there weren’t many rinks near us, but as soon as we got here, I enrolled her in Islanders Learn to Play,” Richardson said. “She had so much fun and there were so many girls her own age.”

Velene took to the sport of hockey and is sticking with it, continuing her involvement through various Islanders programs. As Richardson stood rink side at Northwell Presents the Park at UBS Arena, watching her daughter enjoy a skating session during the first Girls’ Hockey Weekend in October, she reflected on how inspired her daughter is.

“She always tells me, mom I want to be a professional hockey player,” Richardson said. “That’s her dream. The Islanders are so supportive for the kids and the parents. I appreciate and love the opportunities here. I think it's amazing."

The Islanders are deepening their roots on the local level in their outreach to get young kids - specifically girls - involved and excited about the sport of hockey. The Park, the Ed Westfall rink in Peconic and Northwell Health Ice Center are all hotspots for youth hockey and hosts to rollouts of this year’s girls’ hockey initiatives.

“Those two rinks are at opposite ends of Long Island, which means we’re expanding,” said Jocelyne Cummings, Senior Director of Amateur Hockey for the New York Islanders. “We brought ice to The Park and now we can offer these opportunities to our local area around our rink to grow our sport.”

Over 200 girls participated in October’s first-of-its-kind Girls’ Hockey Weekend and their next session is set for January 18-19. The Islanders are focused on offering opportunities at every level - from beginner programs to travel tournaments with a competitive edge - all with the goal of celebrating girls’ hockey and engaging new players.

“It’s good for women’s hockey, but it’s also good for the sport in general,” said Brendan Burke, the Islanders play-by-play announcer on MSG Networks. “To see more and more girls involved, starting from as young as five years old with Islanders Learn to Play, that leads to the growth of the game.”

Burke is a girl dad himself, as he got his 10-year-old daughter Quinn on skates at age four. She participates in Islanders Learn to Play, skating with other girls her age and becoming a stronger skater at these events.

“It was great to get her out there and see her learning,” Burke said. “There’s lots of different girls all in different stages of learning the game. For my daughter, she’s athletic and she can skate, but she’s never really put hockey equipment on before the Islanders program. It’s been a lot of fun to watch.”

Another notable Isles girl dad is Arron Asham, who serves as the Islanders’ lead alum instructor for amateur hockey. His daughter Oceane played hockey at Minnesota State.

“Especially having a daughter go for it, it was cool to see her fall in love with the game,” Asham said. “She played at prep school when she was younger and went on to play college, but there wasn’t much for her when she was younger. It’s exciting to see so many more opportunities for young girls now.”

Not only are the Islanders focused on getting girls involved from a young age, but the organization is opening doors at an international stage, as an all-girls team is preparing for a tournament in Vancouver in Feb. 2025.

“The fact that we have a program just for girls to travel and play competitively is huge,” Cummings said. “Now it’s all about helping them grow and getting more girls involved in the game.”