ABOUT GHC
Our Mission
GROWING THE FEMALE GAME IN CALGARY
Girls Hockey Calgary Association (GHC) is a minor hockey association that provides female hockey athletes residing in the City of Calgary an opportunity to play on all-female teams.
GHC is home to the Jr. Inferno Community teams and the Calgary Fire AAA/AA teams. As a city-wide association, GHC is able to accept registration of any female athlete living within the boundaries of Calgary (Zone 9).
We are Calgary's fastest-growing minor hockey association and Alberta’s largest female hockey association. GHC was the first association in Western Canada to offer an all-female Initiation program, and houses the largest female AAA/AA program in the province.
GHC is governed by Hockey Calgary, Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada.
GHC Jr. Inferno
Our Jr. Inferno Community stream has more than 60 all-female teams from U7 (Timbits) to U18.
All Jr. Inferno community teams play in Hockey Calgary
GHC Calgary Fire
GHC has ten Calgary Fire AAA/AA teams, including three U13 AA teams, three U15 AA teams, two U18 AA teams and two U18 AAA teams.
Calgary Fire teams play in the Alberta Female Hockey League.
OUR STORY
From Humble Beginnings
In 1987, a group of women met in Calgary to discuss the future of female hockey. They shared a vision for female hockey development. Just one year later in 1988, Shannon Miller and Suzanne Jackett officially founded the Girls Hockey Calgary Association.
GHC’s first team, the GHC Peewee Cougars, had a 12-player roster in the 1989/90 season. Over the years, GHC’s all-female teams were hosted by other community associations, such as Blackfoot, Trails West, Bow Valley and Crowchild. Then, in 2005/06, GHC became a fully self-sufficient hockey association, managing its own operations under the GHC banner.
In 2016, GHC began a partnership with the CWHL Calgary Inferno, inspiring future generations of girls to play with passion and wear the Jr. Inferno logo with pride. In the 2016/17 season, GHC was named Association of the Year at Hockey Calgary’s Awards Gala.
Today, GHC has more than 1200 players from all over Calgary.
All good things come with hard work and adversity. GHC is committed to continue growing, continue to improve its programs, and to continue the development of the female athletes. The future is bright!
IGNITING THE CALGARY FIRE
The top levels of female hockey in our province have undergone significant and positive restructuring over the past decade.
From 2009 to 2015, GHC drafted two Bantam AAA teams (GHC Outlaws, GHC Rangers) and a varying number of Midget AAA teams (GHC Chaos, GHC Bruins, GHC Flyers). These teams played in Alberta's elite-stream programs at the time, the Alberta Major Bantam Female Hockey League (AMBFHL) and the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League (AMMFHL) respectively.
After a lengthy review process of elite female hockey in our province, two items became clear: the number of teams at the highest level of Midget hockey had to decrease, and a developmental system had to be built to help players develop skills and progress to the next level of hockey.
In 2016, Hockey Alberta standardized the province's "elite" female hockey system under the Female Hockey Development Model (ADM). This new model provided structure for the top two levels of U18 (AAA and AA) as well as the top level of U15 (AA) hockey.
GHC reduced its number of AAA teams to one, one of only six AAA teams province wide. We called this team the Calgary Fire.
The new Female Hockey ADM defined the maximum number of teams permitted at each Division and Category within Alberta. GHC participated in the thorough bidding process and was awarded five teams in total: two U15 AA, two U18 AA, and one U18 AAA. We modelled our new AAA/AA program after Calgary's "Quadrant" system, unifying our identity, procedures and vision under the Calgary Fire banner.
On November 2, 2022, Hockey Alberta announced the addition of a new U13 AA division within the AFHL, as well as expansion of the U15 AA division. As a result, the Calgary Fire program grew to include three u13 AA teams and an additional U15 AA team. As of the 2023/24 season, there are nine teams under the Calgary Fire banner: three U13 AA, three U15 AA, two U18 AA and one U18 AAA.
GHC's Calgary Fire AAA/AA Female Hockey Program is now the largest AAA/AA female hockey program in the province. Our teams compete in the Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL), which is home to teams at the U18 AAA, U18 AA, U15 AA and U13 AA levels. GHC is one of 12 host associations around the province, and we are deeply committed to the growth and development of AAA/AA female hockey.
1988
Shannon Miller and Suzanne Jackett founded the Girls Hockey Calgary Association.
1989/90
GHC’s first team, the Peewee Cougars, had a 12-player roster hosted by Blackfoot Hockey.
2008
GHC brought its all-female teams "home" and became self-sufficient association.
2017
GHC was named Association of the Year at Hockey Calgary’s Awards Gala.
2019
GHC announced Father David Bauer Arena as the new home of the Calgary Fire AAA.
2021
GHC reached the amazing milestone of 1000 registered players!
GHC IN THE NEWS
Four Calgary girls' hockey teams return from provincials with medals
Calgary Sun
April 2019
More girls interested in hockey in Calgary than ever before
CTV Calgary
March 2019
Growing the Game with Girls Hockey Calgary
Hockey Xtra
February 2019
Good Times in Calgary for World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend
IIHF
October 2018
WHAT OUR MEMBERS SAY
"It's been so rewarding to watch my daughter's skill level grow, and to watch her encourage and be encouraged by her teammates."
"My daughter made the move to girls hockey in first-year bantam, after spending 8 years playing co-ed hockey. What an amazing year she had with GHC, winning provincials and making the Alberta Challenge with Team Alberta. She had some awesome coaches this season who contributed to her growth as a player."
NEWSLETTER
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