How Utah Hockey Club is helping grow girls’ hockey locally

When Kristi Davis met with the mental performance coach for the Ogden Junior Mustangs last year, something stuck out.

For her female athletes to develop, she learned, it was important for them to have an adult from outside of the family step forward and show them they care about their craft.

As the Mustang’s program coordinator and head coach of the 6U and 8U travel teams, Davis has always tried to make sure her players feel appreciated. The parents cheering behind the glass helps, too. However, the nonprofit girls’ hockey program was looking for a way to elevate its players in the male-dominated sector.

That is where Utah Hockey Club stepped in.

Forward Alex Kerfoot and his wife, Marissa, connected with the Smith Entertainment Group early in the season to facilitate a setup in which the alternate captain donated his game tickets — and a chance to watch warmups from the team’s bench at Delta Center — to different female youth hockey programs across the state.

The Junior Ogden Mustangs have been one of the groups to benefit from this mission.

“It’s something that we, as a nonprofit, could’ve never given them something like that. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will stick with them forever — knowing that they have support,” Davis said. “They can’t get over it. They all show their pictures to each other. It matters so much to these girls.”

Kerfoot didn’t want to take much of the credit when asked about the initiative. A lot of the guys in the Utah locker room do good outside the rink, he said.

Nonetheless, the forward’s impact has been felt. And it’s a cause Kerfoot cares about.

He and Marissa welcomed their daughter Carrera this summer. Marissa was also an athlete in college, on the field hockey team at Harvard University while her now-husband was on the ice hockey team for the Crimson.

“We just wanted to do something to allow girls to have the opportunity to come see this. We know that the sport of hockey is growing for females in general,” Kerfoot said. “There’s a lot of youth hockey initiatives that lean towards boys so we just wanted to make an effort to allow girls hockey to have the same opportunity that the boys have. It’s been great seeing them come out.”

The interest in girls’ hockey in Utah has spiked in recent years and only increased after the NHL’s arrival in Salt Lake City. The Ogden Junior Mustangs used to be a program under Weber County, but are now their own entity. Last season was the Mustang’s first year of running all of its teams in-house as more squads popped up in Davis County. All girls’ hockey teams in Utah were previously based in Salt Lake through the Lady Grizzlies program, but the sport has quickly expanded and Davis and the Mustangs have scurried to adapt.

“We’re growing so fast and it couldn’t be a better time for an NHL team to come because we were already growing so fast and then it just exploded at the seams,” Davis said. “It’s been really fun to see this year getting so many more inquiries on girls hockey, youth hockey, everything. There’s so much hype for hockey right now.”

Davis has players from four to 18 years old participating in various programs offered: learn to skates, recreation and house hockey, travel squads, USA Tier II teams, Lady Junior Mustangs and Ogden Senior Mustangs. All of the teams are administered by volunteers registered with USA Hockey.

The Ogden Junior Mustangs have been able to send six of their athletes to Utah games this season as they alternate with other girls' programs in the area. The young skaters' passion for the game has only heightened since getting to see it up close at the NHL level, Davis said.

The experience has been more than the two tickets and warmup viewing, though. The girls tell stories of Kerfoot coming over to take pictures, having a conversation and bringing a small gift.

“It was even more than we imagined,” Davis said. “I think it’s going to have a lasting impact because yes, they’re a male team, but they’re showing you that they will support you. They’re going to support women’s initiatives. They’re going to stand up for making sure they’re included.”

Kerfoot and his teammates have put an emphasis on connecting with the community since getting relocated to Utah from Arizona in April. Pulling a new NHL market into the sport takes thrilling wins on the ice but also an active effort from the players to get to know their fans.

“Any time any of us have the opportunity to do something in the community we don’t take it for granted,” Kerfoot said. “We’re in very fortunate positions and it’s the least we can do to give back a little bit and hopefully allow them to find some excitement for the game and maybe fall in love with it like we did.”

The 30-year-old just signed a one-year, $3 million contract extension with Utah which will keep him as part of the Club’s forward group moving forward.

While Kerfoot’s versatility, toughness, tenacity on the penalty kill and veteran leadership all earned him another season in Salt Lake, head coach André Tourigny and general manager Bill Armstrong have also credited the player for the the type of person he is — something they want in their locker room.

“I love that stuff. We talk about that with the team. We’re so grateful for the way the community embraced our team and supports our team,” Tourigny said. “I praise guys when they have that kind of impact. For me, karma is real. When you’re a good person, you treat people right and when you do the right thing in the community, that pays back.”

As hockey grows in Utah, Kerfoot has made certain the female programs do not get left behind. Sure, the Ogden Junior Mustangs cannot grow up to play in the NHL — rather, the PWHL — but they see that there is room for them in the Utah hockey world.

Kerfoot has stepped in as the adult outside of the athlete’s families and coaches to show the girls their work is important.

“I think Alex Kerfoot is a shining example of what a player that cares about their community is. He has shown from day one how much he cares,” Davis said. “These girls won’t forget it. They won’t forget that they have support. They won’t forget that they’re cared about.”

Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.