Congratulations to Kayla Kutes on her commitment to UMD Women's D1 Hockey Program. Kayla joined Sno-King when she was 9, playing for a co-ad house team at Sno King, the following season she made the boys rep team and kept playing with the AAA/AA boys team under Coach PIzzey the following seasons until high school. She liked playing for the boys’ teams because it was a faster and more physical game.
"Sno-King gave me a great opportunity to volunteer at Jamie’s summer camp where I got the chance to meet & work with Sno-Kings younger girls and see the growth of women hockey at Sno-King.
During the years I also was working with some of the best coaches that Washington has to offer, like Jamie Huscroft & Turner Stevenson, as well as Vaughan Rody & Mike Butters.
At Sno-King I was introduced to West-coast Prep camp and went there with some of my teammates for a couple of years. This camp gave me exposure to the world of academies and schools. I was then approached by the Okanagan Hockey Academy coaches when they offered me a position on their team.
I made the decision with the help of my parents & coaches to move to Canada and play for OHA. Playing for a Hockey academy increased my exposure to college coaches as well as other hockey academies.
During the off-season, I always keep training and practicing at any opportunity I get. I practice with higher-level players that push me to play more competitively. I participate in some of the college's showcase camps such as Rink Sport, Rush Hockey, and WCPC as well as USA National team tryouts/camps.
Playing at Sno-King gave me the development I needed to start playing at the academy level. Playing academy and at those showcases is what ultimately led to my commitment at UMD."