Professional Women’s Hockey Seminar a success

The Alliance of European Hockey Clubs (E.H.C.) staged the 2025 E.H.C. Professional Women’s Hockey Seminar in Prague and Ceske Budejovice on 13 and 14 April.

The purpose of the seminar was to identify ways to increase the visibility, professionalism, and commercial prospects of women’s hockey at both the club and European federation levels. Introduced by E.H.C. Managing Director Caroline Jonsson, the program included a variety of intriguing presentations and panel discussions – as well as providing great networking opportunities.

“The IIHF is happy to take part in events like the E.H.C. Professional Women’s Hockey Seminar,” said Blanka Elekes Szentagotai, the IIHF Women’s Program Manager. “Working in close communication and partnership with all the relevant stakeholders can only strengthen the future of our game.”

At the E.H.C. event, Ashley Ehlert, the IIHF’s Deputy Director General and Legal Director, spoke on a panel entitled “International Women’s Hockey: Vision, Growth, and Governance.” She was joined by IOC member Emma Terho, Vice-Chair of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and a five-time Olympian, and Marin Hickox, Hockey Canada’s Vice-President of Women & Girls Hockey.

Another panel showcased “Europe’s Leading Women’s Hockey Leagues,” with insightful input from Angelica Lindeberg, the SDHL’s Chief Operating Officer, Henni Laaksonen, Director of Finland’s Auroraliiga, and Paolo Angeloni, who oversees Switzerland’s PostFinance Women’s League as the Director of Leagues and Cup with the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation.

Expert speakers from different business backgrounds included Meghan Chayka, the hockey analytics guru and CEO of Stathletes, Markus Nilsson, the Deputy CEO of Hammarby Football Club, and Tobias Calminder, a product manager with Elite Prospects.

The delegates also visited Arena Ceske Budejovice to watch Sunday’s Canada-U.S. game. That exciting high-level competition offered a foretaste of what fans can expect from European pro women’s hockey in the years to come.

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