Leading the Way: How Women Behind the Bench are Shaping the Next Generation

For Carrie Thomas, a successful hockey season is about more than what players accomplish on the ice. It is about whether they leave feeling more confident, connected to their teammates and certain they have a place in the game.

“When the season ends, what I hope each player takes away is that they played a valued role on a team where they felt like they belonged to something worthwhile,” she says. “I hope my players feel more confident as both a player and a person outside of the rink.”

This Women’s History Month, the Ontario Hockey Federation is highlighting Thomas’s contributions to girls’ hockey and the importance of women leading behind the bench. The 2026 BFL CANADA Women in Coaching Award recipient for Ontario in the Competitive category has spent eight years coaching with the Brampton Canadettes.

Her own introduction to hockey came after years spent playing a different sport.

“I learned to skate at a very young age on my backyard rink that my dad would make each winter,” Thomas recalls.

She grew up playing ringette, but arriving at Wilfrid Laurier University opened an unexpected door. When she learned the university had a hockey team rather than a ringette team, she decided to try out.

“I decided to try out and made the team based on work ethic and strong skating,” she says. “Here I fell in love with the sport, and received incredible coaching.”

That experience would eventually connect two generations. Years later, as Thomas looked for a place for her daughters to play competitive hockey, former Laurier teammate Cheryl Pounder was coaching her own daughters in Brampton.

“Here is where both my daughters fell in love with the sport and I began volunteering as an assistant coach.”

Creating room to learn

As Thomas’s involvement in coaching grew, so did her understanding of what players need to feel comfortable learning. She wants effort and being a good teammate to matter more than the fear of getting something wrong.

“It is so important that players are not afraid to make mistakes. I feel you cannot fully grow as a hockey player if you are afraid to make mistakes,” she says. “My players are never in trouble for making a mistake.”

Questions are encouraged during practices and games. Feedback, meanwhile, depends on the individual receiving it.

Having coached many of the same players over several seasons, Thomas has learned how their personalities and confidence shape the way they respond.

“Some players want very direct and immediate feedback during a game. Others benefit from constructive feedback after a game or during practice, so it doesn’t affect their mental game,” she explains. “It's all in the delivery, tone and timing!”

That awareness helped her support a U15 player who would become discouraged after a mistake, sometimes affecting her play for the rest of the game. Drawing on guidance from a mental performance coach, Thomas began giving the player a specific focus for her next shift: positioning during a breakout, communicating with her defence partner or skating to the net for a rebound.

“An effective strategy I would use during a game was for their next shift, encourage them to focus on something they can control in their game.”

Building a Team Beyond the Rink

Thomas’s approach to building confidence also extends beyond practices and games. Over the years, her teams have shared high ropes courses, team meals, cottage camps, karaoke, yoga and holiday parties.

“During these activities players just get to be kids/teens and be themselves,” she says.

Those experiences allow coaches to get to know players in a different setting, while giving teammates opportunities to connect beyond hockey. For Thomas, seeing those personalities emerge is one of the rewards of volunteering.

There have also been competitive highlights. In March 2025, her U15 A team won its Southern League championship and provincial gold. Both of her daughters have continued playing and are now at the U18 AA level.

Alongside those accomplishments, Thomas values the lessons players can carry into other parts of their lives. How a coach responds to a loss or a disputed call matters because players are watching.

“This is an important teachable moment to show youth how we can still show respect for authority even when we disagree with them,” she says of responding to officials.

“Dealing with adversity is a life lesson that will help players beyond the game of hockey.”

Helping Girls See Themselves as Leaders

Women’s History Month offers an opportunity to recognize the women whose contributions help shape hockey at every level. For Thomas, being part of that work means helping girls see possibilities for their own futures.

“I think it is important for young girls and woman to see other females as leaders in the sport, so they can see themselves one day taking on this role.”

She encourages other women considering coaching to get involved. Her own experience has brought lasting relationships, shared achievements and the opportunity to watch players develop a love for the sport.

Receiving the BFL CANADA Women in Coaching Award has given her another reason to reflect on that involvement.

“I have always felt so grateful to play a small role in women’s hockey,” Thomas says. “Watching players fall in love with the game and develop as athletes is the best part!!”

From a backyard rink to university hockey and the Brampton bench, Carrie’s story connects her own opportunities in sport with those she now helps create for others. Each season offers another chance to help girls feel they belong—and imagine where hockey might take them next.