Capitals advancing coaching opportunities for women at development camp
Schuler soaks in knowledge on tactics, practice planning in meetings with staff
Schuler participated in the staff meetings with Capitals coach Peter Laviolette and Scott Allen, coach of Hershey of the American Hockey League, where they reviewed practice planning and tactical packages. She also had individual discussions with Capitals assistants Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe about neutral-zone play and penalty-killing techniques.
"It's been unbelievable to be in a room and talking amongst so many amazing hockey minds," Schuler said. "We've just been sharing drills, sharing knowledge, and it's been so much fun, so I feel right at home."
But the camp, which concluded with a scrimmage at Capital One Arena on Friday, was a two-way street for Schuler, an assistant on the University of Minnesota Duluth's women's team. Schuler shared her vast hockey knowledge from her playing days and more than 20 years in coaching with Washington's prospects on and off the ice and was a valuable resource for the coaches, too.
"Laura has been excellent just having her around," Laviolette said. "She's really smart just talking to her. She's sat in on almost every meeting and sat with coaches. Her knowledge of the game, she's got experience in the game that goes a long way. She's more experienced than a lot of people and she shows it when she's in meetings. So it's been good just to have her in and in the mix with the coaches."
Schuler began coaching with University of Massachusetts Boston's women's team in 2001 after a distinguished playing career as a forward with Northeastern University and Hockey Canada that included first-place finishes at the IIHF World Championship in 1990, 1992 and 1997 and a silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. The Scarborough, Ontario, native returned to Northeastern to coach from 2004-08 before joining Minnesota Duluth as an assistant for seven seasons, helping the Bulldogs qualify for the NCAA Tournament three times, including winning a national championship in 2010.
Schuler left Minnesota Duluth to coach Dartmouth College from 2016-20, with a one-year sabbatical in 2018 to coach Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where it won the silver medal. After working as an advisor on Quinnipiac University's women's hockey staff in 2020-21, she returned to Minnesota Duluth last season and helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA championship game before losing to Ohio State.
The chance to be a guest coach at the Capitals development camp came through NHL Coaches' Association Female Coaches Development Program.
"Lindsay Artkin, who is the president of the NHLCA, recommended me for this opportunity," Schuler said. "So I got an opportunity to talk to some of the coaches on staff and it went well, and next thing you know I got asked to come out."
Schuler coached at development camps with Hockey Canada from 2008-13 and relied on that experience when on the ice with the Capitals prospects.
"So much about this camp is not about the tactical aspects," she said. "It's more about the technical side of things. You know, it's great if you can stickhandle, but can you do it with your head up? Because there's a whole world out there and the best way to play hockey is by using your friends. So you've got to make sure that you can do all these things and still be able to control the puck with your head up. So that's a big focus for this development camp, trying to incorporate that with the guys."
Schuler will also spend time with the Capitals and Hershey's coaches periodically during the upcoming season. The 51-year-old never imagined coaching in the NHL would be an attainable goal years ago, but she sees the path opening with the coaching opportunities other women have gotten recently.
Jessica Campbell was hired as the first full-time female assistant in the AHL by Coachella Valley, an affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, on July 6 after the Capitals promoted Emily Engel-Natzke from Hershey to be their video coordinator on June 30, making her the first woman to be a full-time coach in the NHL.
Schuler met Engel-Natzke for the first time this week and was impressed.
"Just to watch her working, wow, she is phenomenal at what she does," Schuler said. "So brilliant. Great hockey mind. Really knows the game well."
With Engel-Natzke and Campbell blazing the trail and, hopefully, more opportunities for women to come, Schuler's NHL coaching goal is no longer a farfetched dream.
"Definitely a goal and never thought it would ever be possible," Schuler said. "I could say the same thing about myself becoming an Olympian. When I was 10 years old, I remember watching the Olympics on TV and having a whole slew of emotion coming over me and being like, 'That's what I want to do.' But hockey wasn't even an Olympic sport back then.
"So I think as long as you continue to put whatever it is you're passionate about into play each and every day, and you make really good choices about what you're doing and continue to learn and grow, then anything is possible."
