Growing the Game: Capitals Rising Stars, BC Hockey Jr. A News and More

Ian Kennedy discusses the Washington Capitals launching the Capitals Rising Stars Academy, BC Hockey reclassifying three leagues to Jr. A, and former PHF players who signed in Europe.

Growing the Game is Ian Kennedy’s weekly feature examining the global game, how social issues impact the sport, and how hockey’s important cultural shift continues to evolve.

The Washington Capitals have launched the Capitals Rising Stars Academy, “a co-ed program established to provide elite skill development and mentorship for local hockey players of color.”

The inaugural academy will occur on Aug. 19 and 20 and will be headed by Duante' Abercrombie who served as a coaching development associate with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2022-23. The programming will focus on on-ice skill development, fitness, nutrition, and mental health, as well as sessions related to anti-racism initiatives.

“It is exciting to bring together local leaders in the sport of hockey to mentor the next generation of players while creating a community that will help grow the game,” said Capitals director of youth hockey development, Peter Robinson, in a press release. “The athletes will have an opportunity to focus on elite skills while discussing the current hockey culture, and how they can impact the future of the game.”

Abercrombie is also a member of the Capitals’ Black Hockey Committee and was an inaugural member of the National Hockey League Coaches’ Association’s BIPOC Coaches Program.

“I was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and the Rising Stars Academy means the world to me,” said Abercrombie. “We have the potential to have a lasting impact on not just our athletes, not just Washington, D.C., but the entire hockey community worldwide. This means much more to me than just developing their hockey skills. My goal, with the support of the Washington Capitals, is to help develop great humans through hockey.”

It’s been a year of fallout and change under the Hockey Canada umbrella. In late April, the BCHL announced they’d be going independent and leaving Hockey Canada. It was a move that sent shockwaves through Canada’s Jr. A hockey system, ushering in a new era for the sport in the country. The BCHL has long been considered Canada’s top Jr. A loop, this year seeing nine players selected in the 2023 NHL draft.

Now, Hockey Canada and BC Hockey are bringing in a new iteration of Jr. A hockey to the province by amalgamating a trio of Jr. B leagues. The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) are becoming a reclassified league.

“We are excited about the opportunities this new pathway will create for junior hockey players in B.C. and Yukon,” Stephanie White, chair of the BC Hockey board of directors said. “Having these teams dedicate themselves to raised standards, first to Jr. A Tier 2, and eventually Jr. A Tier 1 for some, will provide more of our talented players with a better player experience at the highest level in our province. BC Hockey is confident that this transformation will strengthen the development pathway immediately and raise the overall hockey experience for players, coaches, and fans alike."

The new league will play under the Hockey Canada umbrella.

A growing number of players previously signed to compete in the PHF this season have chosen to sign and play in Europe this season rather than wait out the new professional women’s hockey league.

Leading the way are a group of Metropolitan Riveters signees including veteran Anna Kilponen, a PHF all-star from last season and former member of Finland’s senior national team. Kilponen, a defender, signed in Switzerland with the ZSC Lions. She was the third former PHF member to sign in the SWHL-A, a list which also includes former Buffalo Beauts forward Jenna Suokko and Riveters forward Leah Marino.

Heading to Sweden was a crop of younger players, including back-to-back ECAC defender of the year and all-American Emma Seitz, who signed with MoDo. Seitz had signed a one-year $72,500 contract with the Riveters prior to the acquisition of the PHF. Other players to sign in Sweden following the PHF’s disbandment by the Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises includes Emily Rickwood (Montreal Force) with AIK, Naomi Rogge and Lauren Dabrowski (Metropolitan Riveters) with SDE in Stockholm, and Anneke Linser (Metropolitan Riveters) with Djurgarden. Buffalo Beauts defender Antonia Matzka also signed with UEHV Sabres.