AHL Launches New Mentorship Initiative

In November 2022, I spoke with American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson about how he and the league were working on developing players into better humans with different programs they had already launched and planned on launching. One of the things Howson mentioned during our interview was the need for more diversity and inclusion.

On Friday, Howson continued to turn words into action by announcing a new mentorship initiative in the AHL where young professionals from diverse backgrounds will have the opportunity to work with the training staffs on the bench and in the locker rooms during this weekend’s events.

During the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, Sydney Kinder will work with the Toronto Marlies support staff and Noémie Chartier-Lefrançois will work with the Laval Rocket support staff.

Around The AHL

• AHL Releases 2023 Preseason Schedule
• 5 AHL Players Who Retired This 2023 Offseason
• AHL Pacific Division News : August 2023
• AHL North Division News: August 2023
• AHL Central Division News: August 2023

Kinder has a lengthy list of accomplishments to her name. Currently, she is an athletic trainer with the United States Marine Corps. In 2020, Kinder earned her master’s degree in athletic training from Texas A&M University and interned at Auburn University as an athletic trainer for their softball program. SUNY Canton wrote an Alumni Spotlight highlighting some of Kinder’s accomplishments. I highly suggest checking out the article here as it highlights her position as director of Hockey Players of Color and her campaign to get Willie O’Ree‘s number retired by the NHL. In January 2022, O’Ree’s number was retired by the Boston Bruins but still has yet to be retired by the NHL.

The Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has been home to athletic therapist Chartier-Lefrançois for the past four seasons. Her schooling consists of a master’s degree in athletic therapy and a degree in kinesiology from the University of Québec at Trois-Rivières.

A little fun fact about Chartier-Lefrançois. According to the Olympiques press release of her hiring, she has completed “Tremblant’s Half Ironman in 2016, Tremblant’s 5i50 Triathlon in 2015, as well as Montreal’s and Ottawa’s half marathon on many occasions.”