ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. — Eight-year-old Zoey Yeh is a young hockey player full of speed who can handle the puck.
She comes from a family with two siblings who also play. So when Zoey scores, she does it for them.
What You Need To Know
- The LA Kings held four special camp sessions for girls ages 6-12 in October
- The camp was held by Kings scout Blake Bolden, a women's hockey pioneer
- The team also held a youth camp for youth in Mexico City this week
“It makes my mom and dad proud,” Zoey said.
Zoey suited up every Friday over the last month to take part in the Los Angeles Kings' girls camp designed for players ages 6 to 12. Even though Zoey is all about competition, there is another reason she’s hitting the ice.
"Because my friends skate with me," she said.
Zoey and her buddies get to learn from Blake Bolden, a Kings scout and pioneer in women’s hockey. She said she sees herself in all the young ladies participating in the program.
“I was 7 years old, 8, 9, 10, trying to work my edges, learn how to shoot,” Bolden said. “It’s really cool that it’s all girls together, which is something I never had growing up.”
Bolden added that this is just the beginning of the game becoming more diversified.
"Hockey is the fastest-growing sport for girls in the country right now statistically, so of course, inevitably, there will be more girls on the ice as we have seen across the country," she said. "All clubs are putting an emphasis on girls and youth hockey."
As for Zoey, it’s all about the love the game and, quite frankly, having something cool to do
"It doesn’t keep me bored," she said.
There is nothing boring about watching Zoey on the ice, and with these young ladies learning from the best, who knows where the game can take them.