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Dec
Hockey Inspires Leadership Day is an initiative put on by Hockey Calgary in conjunction with the Flames Foundation, Calgary Sport and Entertainment Coporation, and the Coaches Site. Historically, the event brought together 1000 players for a 1-day conference with guest speakers, mentors, and high energy activities focused on the development of leadership.
On October 2, coaches are invited to take part in the 2nd Annual Leadership Day – Coach Edition. The engaging event will deliver a wide variety of on and off ice topics to give coaches some actionable strategies that they can use to ensure their sport is providing kids a supportive runway for the rest of their lives. Ultimately, we believe coaches have an opportunity to instill the right values in their players by building a foundation for fun, development, competition, connection, and growth of Calgary’s future community leaders.
DATE | Monday, October 2
LOCATION | Ross Glen Hall - Mount Royal University
TIME | 5:00PM to 9:00PM
COST | $15*
*Associations may choose to cover the cost for their coaches to attend. Please click the registration link to learn more
Dr. Jody Carrington is a renowned psychologist sought after for her expertise, energy, and approach to helping people solve their most complex human-centred challenges. Jody focuses much of her work around reconnection – the key to healthy relationships and productive teams.
A speaker, author, and leader of Carrington & Company, she uses all she has been taught in her twenty-year career as a psychologist to empower everyone she connects with. Jody has worked with kids, families, business leaders, first responders, teachers, farmers and has spoken in church basements and world-class stages; the message remains the same – our power lies in our ability to acknowledge each other first.
Her approach is authentic, honest, and often hilarious. She speaks passionately about resilience, mental health, leadership, burnout, grief, and trauma – and how reconnection is the answer to so many of the root problems we face. Her wildly popular book, Kids These Days, was published in 2019 and has sold 150,000 copies worldwide. Jody’s message is as simple as it is complex: we are wired to do the hard things, but we were never meant to do any of this alone.
With a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, work with major institutions and thriving clinical practice, she brings a depth of experience and insight that is unmatched in the industry.
Jody lives in small-town Olds, Alberta, with her husband and three children (she had three kids in 2 years to test her own resilience) and leads the amazing team at Carrington & Company.
Cavalry FC captain Carducci, who earned the armband ahead of the 2023 season following Mason Trafford’s retirement, has been with the club since its inaugural season, and most recently signed a new three-year deal in December 2022 to stay in Calgary.
He is a two-time Canadian Premier League Golden Glove winner in 2019 and 2022 and a mainstay between the posts for Cavalry. Internationally, Carducci was the first CPL player to get a call to the Canadian national team, for a pair of Concacaf Nations League matches in August 2019, after representing his country at multiple youth levels.
Prior to his time with Cavalry, Carducci was named the Canadian U-17 Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013. He then represented PDL side Cavalry Foothills FC, USL side Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he signed his first professional contract in 2014 and spent three seasons in the organization.
Dean Seymour grew up in Saskatoon and played all his minor hockey in the Flyer zone and later for the Saskatoon Contacts of the U18AAA league.
After 2 all-star seasons with the Yorkton Terriers and a berth in the Royal Bank cup Dean received a Hockey Scholarship to Northern Michigan University.
After college, Dean went on to play nine years of pro hockey that saw his career take him from the United States to Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, highlighted by an invite to the 2001 Spengler cup.
The list of teams Dean has worked with is almost too long. The list includes multiple U18 AAA in Saskatchewan, U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Regina Pats of the WHL, Calgary Flames Development Camp, and Hockey Canada Women’s National Team.
Now in Calgary Dean spends most of his time working for Hockey Canada developing players by sharing the skills and instruction he has received throughout North America and Europe. Dean also values his time with family and friends but especially cherishes the time with his wife Erinn and their two boys Ben and Max.
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Steve Hamilton is in his sixth season with the Calgary Hitmen having guided the club to a combined 71 wins during his first two years at the helm. Before moving to the Stampede City, he helped the Edmonton Oil Kings as an associate coach to three straight WHL Finals, two league championships in 2012 and 2014, culminating with a Memorial Cup title in 2014.
The 47-year-old has 10 seasons of WHL experience and has also served as a head coach and assistant with Hockey Canada working with the U17’s and U18’s in 2013, 2014 and again in 2017.
Hamilton, a three-time AJHL Coach of the Year with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders in 2006 and Spruce Grove Saints in 2009 and 2010, spent 13 years as a teacher and hockey instructor with Donnan Elementary and Vimy Ridge Academy from 2001 to 2014.
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Rob has succeeded in two related but separate fields as both an award-winning broadcaster and as a cutting-edge sports marketer for over nearly three decades. As a sought-after voice and expert, Rob has served his community as the director for Sport Calgary and as a board member for Kidsport Calgary/Flames Sports Bank.
Rob’s mantra is that SPORTS is FUN. As a manager and sports marketer, he was able to combine that with innovative community programming. While with the Calgary Hitmen, Rob worked alongside Siksika Health to reinvent a community-based game-day experience in hockey with Every Child Matters. This program went well beyond your typical community-based hockey game as the two groups entered a first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Understanding to work collaboratively to promote sport and recreation to indigenous youth.
Rob’s proudest achievement was being a day one volunteer for the HEROS Hockey SuperHEROS pilot program in Calgary. It was really through the creation of the SuperHEROS hockey program that he really found his niche working with the players, families, and volunteers on a truly inclusive hockey platform.
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Prusina, an accomplished Calgary-based broadcaster with experience as a journalist, host and commentator has a broad resume covering three Olympics, the Women’s World Cup, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, the voice of the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League for three seasons, and now the voice of the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League.
A graduate of the University of Calgary with a major in English and a post-degree in Journalism from Mount Royal University, Prusina currently wears many hats in the Calgary sports scene. From a CityNews Radio Sports Anchor to U of C Dinos play-by-play, her voice is heard all over the city and province.
