I just can’t stay away from hockey, can I? It’s with great honor that I can call myself assistant coach of the Swiss U18 Women’s National Team. Would I have thought of that back in May when I announced my retirement? No! Did I hope for such an opportunity? Absolutely.

I’m extremely excited to be joining the U18 team, the coaching staff and take on that new challenge of standing behind the bench. Not only do I want to help them develop as hockey players on the ice, but also as role models off the ice. Young players with a bright future!

When I announced my retirement, I wanted to stay involved with hockey. I especially wanted to stay involved with Swiss Ice hockey and the development of women’s hockey in Switzerland. As luck has it, I was contacted by the head coach during my vacation in the US and was proposed this opportunity. It was a quick decision, as this is just a once in a lifetime opportunity and definitely something that I would love to do.

1^st tournament is a home tournament (St. Gallen) starting tomorrow (!!!) with games against Germany, Russia and Sweden. Until November, 6 games are played everywhere in Switzerland against boys teams. In November, another nation’s tournament takes place with games against Germany, Japan and Slovakia. Another 2 games against boy’s teams before heading to Japan at the end of December for the season highlight; the World Championship!

It’s quite the schedule again, but how awesome is that?

Definitely stay tuned as I will continue to post about hockey… J

Xo

Florence