Getting a foothold in Okotoks will be a big step forward for the Foothills Storm.
The Storm is building on a strong debut campaign in the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League on the backs of a more centralized home schedule with over half of its home games and all practices held at Okotoks’ Viking Rentals Centre.
“This is something new that we hadn’t done before, but having the support of the community and the players that wanted to play that first year I think was very successful,” said assistant coach Darcy Williams.
“The exciting part is, you never know going into your second season what that’s going to bring and the number of players that have reached to try out for us this year has grown quite a bit.
“It’s really nice to see and obviously word is getting out that we’re doing something right, and this is a good place to play.”
Foothills posted a 12-12-2 record in 2023-24 as it got its feet wet in the junior provincial loop, finishing second to the Cochrane Chaos in a tough South Division.
The Storm played its games exclusively out of Blackie and Diamond Valley last season.
This year, the schedule has allowed for most games out of Okotoks, along with three at the nearby Scott Seaman Sports Rink in Heritage Heights, two out of the Oilfields Regional Arena and two out of Stavely.
Williams said the location should be a selling feature for prospective players going forward.
“I was quite shocked that we were able to get into the town as quickly as we did,” he said. “(The Town of Okotoks) was very accommodating and we’re very appreciative they extended what they have to us in only our second season.
“And this is only going to lead to bigger and better things for this program.”
With a base in Okotoks, the Storm will be holding more community initiatives from featuring young female minor hockey players in pre-game warmups to holding skill sessions over the winter holiday break with young athletes.
On the ice, the Storm will have upwards of 30 athletes at its training camp over the first two weeks of September with Williams lauding the work of lead recruiter Kennedy Sterzer.
Foothills expects to have a strong group of returning players though Williams noted no spots are guaranteed at camp.
In addition to the graduation of key players Kanika Sandhu and Madi Turley, the Storm saw the duo of Kayden Burch and Taylor Shubert move onto university athletics, in Schubert’s case as a field lacrosse player.
The puck drops on the 2024-25 season for Foothills in Lethbridge on Sept. 28 with the home opener set for Oct. 5 at the Viking Rentals Centre versus the Calgary Titans.
“I almost think some teams may have taken us lightly the first time they played us,” the coach added. “What teams found out from us is that we’re not pushovers. Both teams that went to the finals, Cochrane and Edmonton, we actually beat both those teams once last season.
“We’re not going to catch anyone by surprise this year being a new team, they’re going to know we’re a very hard-working team and if we don’t have the skill, our hard work is going to make it up for us.
“That’s the philosophy the coaching staff has, that if we work hard, good things will come.”
The eight-team AJFHL launched in 2009 and features four teams in each division with squads based out of Cochrane, Foothills, Lethbridge, Calgary, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Edmonton and Penhold.
The Foothills Storm team is seeking further sponsorship opportunities. Anyone looking to find out more can contact Williams and team manager Deanna Misana at [email protected].
For more information on the team, go to ajfhl.ca.
