Coaching transition, recruiting efforts, renewed spirit for North girls varsity ice hockey

After three of its 11 players graduate at the end of the 2023-24 season, the Grosse Pointe North girls' team is looking to expand and improve its roster to compete at a high level and build team spirit in the coming seasons.

The team is in the midst of a transition, both in terms of players and coaching staff. After seven successful years with the team, former head coach Casey Quick is stepping down to spend more time with his family. During Quick’s time as head coach, the team produced a number of college hockey players, including Bella Welke, Hannah Martin, Claire Murphy and Erin Murphy from the University of Michigan Dearborn and most recently Gabby Brumme and Olivia Palacio from Adrian College.

The North team will now be led by head coach Taylor Shaheen, who was an asset to the North team for two years as an assistant coach. Previously, Shaheen played all four years of high school for the North team and went on to play for the Michigan State University team, followed by her role as an assistant coach for the Grosse Pointe South girls varsity ice hockey team.

I will bring a different perspective as someone who has been in their shoes and as a female coach, Shaheen said. I will also be able to help players through the college recruiting process and look forward to a fun season.

In the upcoming season, Shaheen wants to boost the atmosphere around North hockey both for the team and in the stands. The locker room of the ESH Ice Arena is being renovated and offers a fresh space for the players. In addition, many events are planned for the 2024-25 season.

We will be hosting multiple North hockey nights at ESH Ice Arena, where the boys and girls teams will play back-to-back in hopes of building school spirit on the rink, Shaheen said. We will be playing in the Liggett Tournament, the Traverse City Tournament, as well as the league showcase and participating in their skills competition.

While Shaheen is excited for the upcoming season, she is concerned about the team’s numbers. There were no freshmen on the 2023-24 roster, leaving the team with just eight returning players by the end of the season. She’s looking to fill out the sophomore and freshman classes this year.

If we don't find many interested skaters in the coming years, it will be difficult to compete with such a short bench, Shaheen said. Hockey is meant to be played in short sprints with quick shifts. That said, we need more players to fill our roster.

Team captain Josie Cueter echoed Shaheen's concerns, emphasizing the importance of recruiting new players and the team's efforts thus far.

It’s often hard to maintain your stamina during tough games against big teams with a much larger roster than ours, Cueter said. This season, we’re working extremely hard to grow our roster. Many girls on the team are bringing their friends to try out the sport. We’re also trying to be active on social media to promote upcoming skating and team activities. Our goal is to have a few more players on the roster, whether they’ve skated before or not.

On June 15, the team hosted an interesting skating competition in hopes of recruiting players. The event was open to all levels of skating experience and was divided by skill level. On one side of the ice, some of the team’s returning players scrimmaged with some of the more experienced skaters. On the other side of the ice, the team hosted a Learn to Play session for inexperienced skaters.

There were a lot more people than I expected, which was great, Cueter said. Some were experienced hockey players, others had never been on the ice before. The skate ended up being a lot of fun for both new and returning players, and I can’t wait to see which girls come back for our second skate on July 10.

From 5:30-6:30pm on Wednesday, July 10th, the team will be hosting a second exciting skate at Liggetts McCann Arena. All girls from sixth grade through high school seniors are welcome. They will be provided with snacks and a Q&A to follow. Additionally, the team is prepared to provide new players with equipment for the event.

To register for the interest skating competition on July 10, scan the QR code to complete the registration form.