Angela Taylor has replaced James Ashton as the new Head Coach of Great Britain Under-18 Women.
It is a real shame for Ashton who is a huge advocate for women’s hockey and has been an integral part of the GB program.
He had been in charge of Great Britain Under-18 Women since August 2020. It ends a seven-year association with the national program in various roles.
National Development Head Coach, Tony Hand MBE, said: “James has been a lynchpin of the Great Britain Women’s programme for a long time and he will be sadly missed. I’d like to thank James for his role in developing some of our best young talent for nearly a decade.”
Ashton now steps down because of work commitments but thankfully his replacement could not be better qualified.
Angela Taylor had a storied career as a player, including being a superstar for Great Britain on the international scene.
She made 54 international appearances for Great Britain.
One of only seven players to reach the fifty cap milestone, Taylor also leads GB Women in points (70), goals (39) and assists (31).
A Scottish native, Taylor played with the New Hampshire Wildcats women’s ice hockey program of the University of New Hampshire from 2005 to 2009.
Through 140 NCAA games, Taylor helped her team win four consecutive Hockey East conference championships, accruing 59 points along the way.
In the 2009–10 season, Taylor played with the Lee Valley Lions in the English National Ice Hockey League, becoming the first female skater to play in a British men’s senior league.
At just the age of 22, Taylor would score 17 points in 14 games, becoming the first woman to score in a British men’s senior league and the first to score a hat-trick.
That year, she also helped Slough Phantoms win the Women’s Premier League championship.
The record-breaker and trendsetter then headed to Switzerland, becoming the first British woman to play professional hockey outside of the UK.
Taylor spent eight seasons in the Swiss women’s league, winning five championships before retiring in 2018.
The 34-year-old turned her hand to coaching in the UK in 2020 with Haringey Hounds (U18) and Haringey Capitals (U16W)
Taylor now coaches the U16 program with the Hounds but continues her role with the Capitals.
“The opportunity to work with the under-18s is a dream come true for me.” said Taylor.
“I was so impressed watching the girls in the Four Nations tournament in Iceland before Christmas. We have a solid group of players, many of whom have improved a lot since then.”
“I’ll bring a lot of passion and energy into this role and I’m really looking forward to getting on the ice with this talented group.”
The Great Britain Under-18 Women had their World Championship campaign scheduled for January cancelled, though there have been murmurings a rescheduled tournament could happen later this year.
All quotes are courtesy of Ice Hockey UK.
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