The 2017 IIHF World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend (WGIHW) will take place this Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8.  Now in its seventh year, World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend acts as a global celebration of girls’ hockey, and provides young girls an opportunity to try the sport.

As a leader in all areas of girls and women’s hockey, Minnesota has a number of reasons to celebrate the current status of the sport in our state during WGIHW.  Most importantly, there are more girls playing hockey in Minnesota than ever before. A key part of that has been four consecutive years of growth at the youngest age levels, and the exciting part is there’s still room to grow.

“There are many girls who want to try the great sport of hockey,” said USA Girls’ & Women’s Section Representative for Minnesota, Doug Foster. “Girls’ Hockey Weekend gives the girls an opportunity to experience the game in a fun, social setting.”

Each year 30 or more countries put on over 300 events during WGIHW, with many of them focusing primarily on introducing more girls to the sport. In the United States, common events include try hockey ice sessions, bring-a-friend skates, season kick-off parties and scrimmages among current teams, and Minnesota is no exception.

This year 16 communities have committed to host a WGIHW event. An overview of locations and types of events is available right/below. Links to the try hockey hosts are available here. 

To follow along with World Girls’ Hockey Weekend, search for #girlshockey or #WGIHW on Twitter and Instagram.

For a full list of participating locations around the world, click here.