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A look at women's hockey in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½:

— In the 2023-24 hockey season, there were 108,313 women and girls registered as players in Hockey sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½-sanctioned programs, which represented 19.9 per cent of all participants — the highest percentage in Canadian hockey history.

— Almost 45 per cent of those athletes were registered with the Ontario Hockey Federation and Ontario Women’s Hockey Association, representing the largest number of women and girls playing hockey in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. Hockey Alberta had the second-most with 12 per cent of the national total. sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Hockey was third with 10 per cent.

— At the under-18 level and younger, there were 99,561 registered players across sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, of which nearly 65 per cent of participants played on girls-only teams, meaning more than 35 per cent were on mixed teams.

— Last season saw increases in the number of women coaching and officiating in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, with 6,052 coaches and 4,066 officials registered, and more women in these positions at 12 of the 13 member associations. This represented a 16 per cent increase in women coaches and 28 per cent rise in women officials compared to the 2022-23 season.

— The average length in hockey for girls and women is 7.24 years, which is more than 2.4 years less than boys and men, and in the 2023-24 season, the retention rate for girls and women was 84.9 per cent. This was 2.9 per cent lower than boys and men.

— At the university level last season, 35 teams competed in U-Sports women’s hockey, rostering more than 800 combined student-athletes, the vast majority of whom were Canadian. However, in the NCAA, nearly 33 per cent of the more than 1,100 Division I women’s hockey players were Canadian, meaning that almost 400 student-athletes left sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ to play in the American system.

— All players on sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½â€™s national women’s team and sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½â€™s national women’s development team in 2023-24 played their university careers in the NCAA.

(SOURCE: Hockey sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½)

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024

The Canadian Press