Avalanche Announces Weiss, Cline as Guest Coaches for 2023-24 Season

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that Kim Weiss and Kelsey Cline have been named guest coaches for the 2023-24 season as part of the NHL Coaches' Association Diversity Guest Coach Program. Weiss and Cline will serve as guest coaches for the Avalanche's development camp, parts of training camp and periodically throughout the 2023-24 season.

"We're excited to welcome Kim and Kelsey to our staff for development camp and training camp this season," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. "In addition to gaining valuable NHL experience for their growth and development as coaches, both women bring strong coaching and playing backgrounds and will be a great benefit to our young players."

Weiss, 34, currently serves as Associate Head Coach for the Maryland Black Bears in the North American Hockey League and is the first-ever female coach of a North American junior hockey team. Prior to joining the Black Bears, Weiss spent nine seasons with the Washington Pride, one of the most respected AAA girls hockey programs in the United States.

Weiss is a member of the National Hockey League Coaches Association Female Coaches Program and has been a featured speaker in the organization's mentorship program. She is involved with USA Hockey's player development camps in the summer as well as the Coaching Education Program. Kim is a USA Hockey Level 5 certified coach and graduated from Georgetown Visitation School in Washington, DC.

The Patomac, Maryland, native played college hockey at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut from 2007-11, serving as team captain as a junior and senior. She was a first-team All-American and NESCAC Player of the Year as a senior in 2011, leading the Bantams to the conference finals and an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in program history. Weiss was a four-time All-NESCAC honoree and remains the program's all-time leading scorer.

Cline, 28, is entering her first season as an assistant coach for the Ohio State women's hockey team after being named Director of Operations in August 2021. Prior to joining the Buckeyes' staff, she served as the associate head coach at the Blake School in Minnesota for the 2020-21 season and at Jefferson High School from 2017-20. Cline was also the operations manager and coach for OS Hockey, a Minnesota-based training program designed to deliver an exceptional training environment specifically for female athletes, assisting in organizing hockey programming and operating the Upper Midwest High School Elite League.

The Bloomington, Minnesota, native played four seasons of college hockey with the University of Minnesota from 2013-17, totaling 29 points (5g/24a) and 102 blocked shots in 161 games and helping the Gophers capture the national championship in 2015 and 2016. Cline made her WNHL debut in 2019 and played in 12 games with the Minnesota Whitecaps, finishing with four points (1g/3a) and a +10 plus/minus rating.