Ep 131: Courtney Kennedy - Head Coach of Merrimack Women's Hockey & USA U18 Women's National Team

On this episode we talk with Courtney Kennedy, the new head coach of the Merrimack College women's hockey program and head coach of the USA U18 women's national team. Courtney shares her journey from Massachusetts to becoming a two-time Olympian and a two-time All-American defenseman at the University of Minnesota. We discuss her 17 seasons at Boston College, her philosophy on recruiting and player development, leading Team USA gold at the 2026 U18 World Championship, and why she jumped at the opportunity to lead Merrimack. Courtney also shares what she looks for in recruits and her advice for families navigating the recruiting process.Follow Courtney on X: @CocoKennedy3 and on Instagram: @cocokennedy3You can connect with Courtney on the Merrimack website: https://merrimackathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/courtney-kennedy/1780 or via Courtney Kennedy's Champs App profile:

Follow Merrimack Women's Hockey on X: @MerrimackWIH and on Instagram: @merrimack_wihLearn more about Merrimack women's hockey ============================Champs App is your recruiting and development copilot. We help athletes, coaches, parents, and agents/advisors navigate the youth sports landscape. Create a free Champs App account to build a beautiful hockey profile and unlock free, high-quality content focused on recruiting and hockey player development.Download Champs App for iOS in the Apple App StoreDownload Champs App for Android in the Google Play Store===========================================Champs360 is the all-in-one recruiting and development copilot for players, parents, and coaches. It gives families the clarity and tools to navigate the recruiting process with less stress and more confidence.At its core, Champs360 brings everything together in one organized system. The College Search tool lets families filter and explore every school by size, location, admission scores and tuition. My Shortlist makes it easy to save and track the programs you care about, and for every school on your shortlist, the Team Dashboard delivers deep program intelligence: rosters, coaching staff, recruiting data, upcoming events, and school-specific articles and videos, all in one place.Communication is central to recruiting, and Champs360 makes it faster and more professional. The Messaging Center, completely redesigned for this release, lets players email coaches directly, receive replies, schedule messages, send to multiple recipients, and save drafts, all from one organized dashboard. Every Champs App user also gets a free professional recruiting email address through ChampsMail, choosing between @champs.email or @champsmail.com. Coach replies forward automatically to the player's personal inbox, or a parent's inbox. With Champs360, players can also send emails to coaches directly through their ChampsMail address. Champs360 also makes it easier for families to work together. Players can share access with up to two parents, with full control over what each parent can see and do across six areas of the platform. Players always keep final control, even if a parent owns the subscription.ChampsGPT, Champs App's AI recruiting assistant.===========================================Want honest feedback on where your game stands today?ChampsEyeQ delivers an unbiased evaluation of your potential. Submit at least ten minutes of edited game shifts (for skaters or goalies) and receive an objective, data-driven analysis from expert scouts. ChampsEyeQ is also available as a gift card, making it a great gift for motivated players.ChampsEyeQ evaluates players across 15+ attributes (skating, hockey IQ, compete level, intangibles, and more) and provides:An overall rating (1–10)A projection of NCAA Division I potentialClear insights on strengths, weaknesses, and development prioritiesVisit www.champseyeq.comSee a Sample SubmissionView a Sample Report