Kayla Friesen

U19 Assistant Coach / Skill Development Coach

Kayla Friesen is a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba. In her well established hockey career she has reached the pinnacle of women’s hockey, competing at the highest levels. She proudly represented Team Canada at the World Junior Championships during the 2015-16 season. She continued her hockey journey in the United States, playing college hockey at NCAA Division 1 St. Cloud State University from 2016 to 2019. Her leadership qualities shone through as she captained the team during her junior year, leaving her mark on the program. In the 2019-20 season, Kayla transferred to Clarkson University, continuing to excel at the NCAA Division 1 level. In 2020, Kayla’s dreams of playing professional hockey came true when she was selected as the #2 overall pick in the first round of the NWHL draft by the Connecticut Whale. She played for the Whale during the 2020-21 season, before joining the Boston Pride in 2021. She played with the Pride from 2021 to 2023 winning the prestigious Isobel Cup during this time. Transitioning from player to coach, she joined the NCAA UMass Boston women’s team as an Assistant Coach for the 2021-22 season. She spent the last two season coaching 18U Tier 1 Boys hockey in Western Mass. She began working in skill development while she was playing her final seasons with the Boston Pride. She worked with Elev802, and the Lady Whalers as a player development coach. She has in total, been coaching and working in skill development for 5 years.