ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – When Clair DeGeorge fell in love with the game of hockey skating around the rinks of Alaska, she didn’t have many women’s players to look up to.
″For me, there was two [girls players] in my age group and we were both playing boys,” DeGeorge said at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. “Even being here at UAA, I always dreamed of being a UAA player up until I was like 10 years old, I just didn’t have the girls to watch.”
That is one of the main reasons she brought seven other professional women’s hockey players to Alaska to host a three-day camp for girls skaters.
DeGeorge’s progression in the sport mirrors the growth of girls hockey in Alaska and across the nation. By the time she played NCAA Division I Hockey, winning a national championship with Ohio State, professional opportunities began to open up for DeGeorge and other women’s hockey players.
DeGeorge joined the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) in its inaugural season in 2022, winning with a championship with Minnesota to bolster her trophy case with an NCAA and pro title, also winning a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships.
“Being able to be out here for these young girls and show them that the women can do it is something very special to me and I am very proud to be an Alaskan and show them that and I cannot wait until one of these little girls are playing in the league in a few years.” DeGeorge said, who recently signed with the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres.
Visibility, awareness and confidence are a few focal points for DeGeorge as she has become the role model she wish she had learning to skate.
“I was really excited to meet Clair because she is really amazing at hockey and I was excited to meet some new people and some new coaches,” said 14U skater Chloe Hayner.
“I feel like it gives girls in general more confidence to see that there’s girls who can make it was far as they did so it gives them a little confidence boost,” added 16U Team Alaska player Zoey Brady.
Other members of the PWHL led drills with youth skaters from U8 to U16, teaching them skills on and off the ice, including Minnesota Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley.
“I think overall across the country you’re going to see a boom in female hockey just because of this league and the notoriety of it so I think the ability to bring seven athletes out here that play professionally and give these girls something to look up to and aspire to is only going to help grow the game in Alaska as well as the rest of the country,” Hensley said, adding she was impressed with the number of camp participants.
DeGeorge, who also works a nurse, has been a longtime partner with ‘Strong Girls United’, who’s mission is to empower girls through sports, mentorship and mental skills development.
“I’ve worked with them since Ohio State,” DeGeorge said. “I have really enjoyed what they can offer kids, it is something that I wish that I had growing up more.”
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