Growing girls’ hockey in Vegas

Sheri Hudspeth has a one-of-a-kind memory to cherish from the IIHF’s World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend in 2023.

It was the year the Vegas Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup, defeating the Florida Panthers in five games in the finals. Hudspeth, who serves as the Director of Youth Hockey Programs and Fan Development with the Knights, coordinated a street hockey game with 40 Las Vegas-area girls in front of City National Arena. As it happens, Hudspeth was coaching Knights coach Bruce Cassidy’s daughter in the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights U14 girls’ hockey program at the time.

The former Minnesota State forward recalled: “Bruce said to me, ‘Hey, Sheri, wouldn’t it be cool if the girls could play hockey for the Cup?’ An incredible offer. I couldn’t even believe he said it! He added: ‘Just be ready. The Cup will be here at this time.’ And you could set your watch to it. The Cup came out of a car, they set it down, and the girls played street hockey with the Cup. All the families got to take pictures. So just a really, really special thing.”

Since then, Hudspeth has continued to pile up meaningful new women’s hockey experiences.

She attended the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia in April. As a youth hockey coach for more than 20 years – including stops in her native Ontario, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Connecticut before coming to Las Vegas – the 43-year-old Canadian was thrilled to be part of the IIHF’s launch of the HER Coaching Network. Powered by Signal, this online networking and mentoring platform brings together international participants at different stages of their coaching journey.

“I was very excited to see the IIHF, the global authority of hockey, intentionally reaching out and trying to connect female coaches from around the world,” Hudspeth said. “It’s very cool to be a part of this. I’m happy they’re doing that because it’s very good networking. You’re going to get to meet new people, including people from smaller countries that are just starting out in hockey. They’ll be able to learn from other countries, including coaches from Canada, the U.S., and so on.”