NHL Player Inclusion Coalition teams up with top prospects at youth clinic

SUMMERLIN, Nev. -- Anson Carter couldn’t tell who was more excited, the top prospects for 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft or the children who shared the ice with them for a youth hockey clinic at City National Arena, the practice facility of the Vegas Golden Knights, on Wednesday.

“You kind of had to figure out who are the young kids and who are the prospects,” said Carter, a former forward who is currently an analyst for “NHL on TNT." “... But that’s the competitive nature of these young prospects we have, so I think our league is in really good hands.”

Carter was among the members of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition who were on the ice alongside prospects Macklin Celebrini, Tij Iginla, Zayne Parekh, Artyom Levshunov and Zeev Buium. Together, they put about 45 boys and girls ranging from ages 5-11 through the paces while providing pointers.

“It was awesome,” said Parekh, a defenseman from Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. “Just trying to grow the game, especially in a place like Vegas, is pretty special. So, being able to give back in a sense, and hopefully those kids will be sitting here someday.”

Parekh’s comments were music to the ears of Carter and the other members of the coalition who were at the clinic, including former NHL players Al Montoya, Anthony Stewart, Mark Fraser and Georges Laraque, and Julie Chu, who competed for the United States women’s national team in four Winter Olympics (three silver medals, one bronze).

“The coalition is about growing the game, and it starts at the grassroots level,” Carter said. “We all started at this level as young boys and girls. Now, to be able to see top prospects entering the League, the NHL community, it’s important to pass it on to them, too, to help them understand that it’s a big responsibility of being an NHL player."

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced the creation of the coalition of current and former NHL players and professional women’s hockey players at the 2023 NHL Draft to advance equality and inclusion in hockey on and off the ice.

This season, the coalition awarded more than $100,000 in grants, and several members hosted hour-long guided conversations with players in all 32 NHL locker rooms that focused on diversity and inclusion, emphasizing how inclusion builds stronger, higher performing teams.

“I think it’s great,” said Montoya, a former goalie who became the NHL’s first Cuban-American player when he made his debut for the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2008-09 season. “The more you can infuse different cultures, show where the game came from, show where the game is going, seeing different faces on the ice, that representation, we’re more than that, but I can’t understate how important it is to see past players, present players and future players all aligning together.”

And for the 45 players on Wednesday, the clinic provided just that opportunity.

“It was really good that I got to meet people in the NHL and people who are going to be drafted in the NHL,” said Charlotte Gregoryan, an 11-year-old defender for the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights. “I had fun. That’s the most important thing in my opinion.”

Oakley Stef, a 10-year-old goalie for the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights, stood tall in net during the clinic, even as Iginla, Celebrini and Parekh skated around her.

“It was hard," she said. "They’re more skilled, faster."

When asked if she had fun, though, the tired but happy goalie smiled and said, “Yes.”