If you’re going to be on stage, or an ice rink, for the first time, you might as well be on a big one.

A handful of girls who had never skated took part in a recent Try Hockey For Free event as part of the IIHF World Girls’ Hockey Day on Oct. 19 at the Prudential Center, home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and PWHL’s New York Sirens.

The day included an all-girls 8U jamboree, clinics for 10U and 12U girls, a Learn to Play clinic and the Girls Try Hockey For Free event.

“The Try Hockey For Free was particularly great because we had four or five girls who had never actually stepped foot on the ice before and their very first time getting on the ice was on an NHL arena,” said Casey Kilduff Weir, the manager of youth hockey & growth initiatives for the Devils.

“So those girls had an absolute blast. You know, it's very easy to fall in love with something when you're in the arena lights and on really awesome ice,” she said. “So, we got them signed up for everything, for Learn to Plays and their next step process, which was really exciting. Our clinics went great. We had a lot of really awesome feedback from parents and from the girls themselves.”

Among those involved in the event were New Jersey Devils goalie Jake Allen, who has three daughters, as well as Rachel Herzog of the MSG Network, Reagan Rust and Taylor Wenczkowski, all former Division I college hockey players.

“Having Jake Allen involved was amazing,” said Kilduff Weir. “Having the amazing women that we had that are role models for our young girls was something that we were really proud of. I would say it was an overall overwhelming success.”

Equipment was provided for THFF participants, who got to keep their jerseys and sticks.

The increasing participation at girls hockey events mirrors the growth of women’s hockey. Both Kilduff Weir and Rust had to play on boys’ teams growing up.

“I grew up in New Jersey. I was the first girl to play for my local youth hockey organization,” Kilduff Weir said. “I went through my entire youth hockey career playing boys hockey. So being able to look back, or boys look now and see how many girls are playing in New Jersey is amazing. And the great thing about this event is it had proof that you can stay in hockey more than just playing.”

Rust and Wenczkowski each played professional hockey and went on to coach college hockey. Wenczkowski is coaching at Princeton University, while Rust was an assistant coach at Boston University the past two seasons. Kilduff Weir played Division III collegiate hockey and now works on the business side of the NHL.

Kate Madigan, assistant general manager for the Devils, was a track athlete who did not play hockey but grew up in a hockey family.

"There's so many different pathways for women to stay involved in hockey now beyond just playing.,” Kilduff Weir said. “It's amazing that we have those options for the girls who are super talented and dedicated and can play at the professional hockey level. But then there's other options beyond too, which is always great. We really made sure to push that if you love it, you can stay in it.”

Rust is now involved in hockey in Florida, including One Percent Hockey, a skills training company that she founded.

The first NCAA Division I women's hockey player from Mississippi, Rust enjoyed the Try Hockey For Free event, especially working with the younger girls and first-time skaters.

“I love it. It’s one of my favorite things to do,” said Rust, who also volunteers with the Lucky Pucks Hockey Club in Florida. “It was so good. We had a really good time. Me, probably more than everybody else, because I was playing in the games with the kids. But we had three or four different sessions.”

Integrating the Try Hockey For Free event into the overall Girls Hockey Day helped the first-time participants see what other levels they can reach some day.

“We planned it really well where we had the Try Hockey For Free immediately after the clinic,” Kilduff Weir said. “So, there was crossover. There were girls coming off the ice with their equipment, girls going on the ice with just their skates and helmets and gloves. That really made a difference for the girls because it wasn't like they were coming in after the Zamboni just got off the ice. They were really involved, and they felt included right away.”

Learning to skate at the Prudential Center could be impactful for any of the participants. Even if they aren’t interested in continuing to play hockey, they can always come back to watch pros play on the ice where they first put on a pair of skates. 

“Anytime you can bring kids into a bigger stage is super impactful,” she said. “Not only the Devils, but the PWHL New York Sirens also play out of our building. So being able to say, come back later this season and watch professional women's hockey on the same ice that you were learning how to play or learning certain skills is invaluable.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.