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ith Year Two of the program now in the books, Artkin’s work is far from done. She has plans already in motion to expand the program to incorporate one-on-one, in-person job shadowing opportunities next season in partnership with NHL franchises — an opportunity that will also include members of the NHLCA’s BIPOC Coaches Program, which runs along the same timeframe.
Artkin admits her tendency to zero in on the day-to-day has prevented her at times from pausing to look around. If she did, she’d see a landscape with fewer hills to climb and more pathways in — with more women walking them.
Within the past few weeks alone, two women — both of whom have been part of the NHLCA’s female coaches development program since its inception — have made coaching history in men’s professional hockey. First, the Washington Capitals promoted Emily Engel-Natzke to be their video coordinator after she spent the past two seasons as a video coach with their AHL club in Hershey. The hiring made Engel-Natzke the first woman to join an NHL coaching staff full-time. Just a few days later, Jessica Campbell made history as the first female assistant coach in the AHL when she was hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds, affiliate of the Seattle Kraken. Elsewhere around the league, teams are bringing in women as guest coaches during development camps and as player development consultants.
Earlier this month, Artkin was in Montreal, host city for the 2022 NHL Draft, where after a two-year pause the NHLCA once again brought together coaches from many walks of life for some special in-person networking events. And this time, when she looked out at the sea of faces there, she saw women looking back at her. “I think my biggest takeaway is that these women feel heard. They feel that their perspectives and their opinions matter. That they are validated within the coaching community, and that finally something has started to be done for female coaches. So, that’s incredible,” she says. “I’m so humbled that’s the reaction.”
Says Mirasolo: “There are women who are getting jobs in in men’s hockey now that is a direct result of what Lindsay is doing. And whether it’s the actual program or her bringing visibility and education and awareness to men’s hockey, to the NHL specifically, there’s no question that it is a direct result of Lindsay Artkin and the NHLCA women’s mentorship program.”
Artkin found her why. And she’s also found her how. Now, with an eye to women breaking into NHL coaching, the question is simply a matter of when.
