Gagliardi lends hand as coach at Hurricanes prospect development camp

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Alyssa Gagliardi stood, spaced in a line with three other Carolina Hurricanes coaches Tuesday.

One at a time, they took turns snapping wrist shots at former Quinnipiac University goaltender Yaniv Perets during the Hurricanes prospect development camp.

Four years have passed since the former Cornell University defenseman wrapped up her five-year professional career, spent mostly with the Boston Pride of the National Women's Hockey League. Since then, she has sought opportunities to expand her hockey resume, particularly in coaching.

"I never thought I would coach, but then I couldn't really imagine my life without hockey," Gagliardi said. "Very quickly, it shifted to, I want to do this. I've been trying to get as much experience as possible."

The majority of high-level coaching opportunities are in the men's game, where Gagliardi moves with ease. She spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach for the Division III Neumann University men's ice hockey program, the only woman coaching an NCAA men's ice hockey team from the bench. She also served as a skill development coach for Maine of the ECHL.

"Coaching at Neumann last year was a really great opportunity," she says. "The staff there gave me a chance to take on a big role. Same with the Maine Mariners, getting to work with the pro guys. Exposure to different levels helps a ton."

Though she has stood out as the only woman on the ice in her recent coaching stops, she is quick to hit the brakes on making her gender the storyline.

"The biggest thing this week is I'm not looking at it as, I'm a female coach," she said. "I'm just another coach on the staff. Elite athletes are elite athletes, whether male or female. I've been exposed to people on both sides, and for me it's about being able to add value, add tools to the toolbox for some of these players and help out as much as I can."

That approach lines up for Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour.

"We don't really think of her like that," Brind'Amour said. "She's a coach. I've never really thought about that, that she's a woman. It's just, get here in the coaches office and let's see what you've got."

Gagliardi is part of the NHL Coaches' Association BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and Female Coaches Development program, a mentorship effort to help increase diversity in professional hockey's coaching ranks.

The 31-year-old is honing her craft on home ice. She was 10 years old when her family moved to North Carolina, where she played with boys in the Raleigh Youth Hockey Association. She is in her second stint working for the Hurricanes. She previously coached the Junior Hurricanes Girls program and guided older girls through the college recruitment process. With a hand in a variety of development roles and coaching levels, she is getting a better feel for where she would like to channel her skills.

"I'd love to work at the pro level," Gagliardi said. "I like player and skill development a lot. I want to be the best coach I can in terms of developing athletes and helping them get to the next level."

Gagliardi takes particular pride in having played the game at the highest levels. Her Boston team won the NWHL's Isobel Cup in 2016, and she was a two-time league All-Star. She spent two years playing for the U.S. Women's National Team Program, winning a gold medal in the Four Nations Cup in 2014.

"Being able to bring some experience with the national team, I've been around really high-level athletes," she says. "Having been an athlete and played at a high level helps, I think, with communication.

"One of the big things for me, you want to show belief in players, [is] that you want to invest in their game and help them get to the next level. Even the guys here [in development camp], if they know you're going to invest in them and their journey and progression to pro hockey, I think they're willing to listen. So, for me, again, it's not so much [about] being a female, but just being a coach and helping however I can."

Along the way, Gagliardi has found plenty of supporters. So far, no one has shown more buy-in than the Carolina coach.

"She was here a few years before, and I remember her asking a lot of questions then," Brind'Amour says. "There's no barrier there that she's a woman. She's a coach. And if she's good enough, she'll be able to keep doing it."

Photo courtesy of Josh Lavallee / Carolina Hurricanes