EDMONTON, ALTA.- The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) announced today the hiring of Stefanie Thomson (Oshawa, Ont.) as the new head coach of the NAIT Ooks women's hockey program, effective immediately.

Thomson joins the Ooks from Franklin Pierce University (NCAA ll) in Rindge, New Hampshire where she served as an assistant coach for the past two seasons in addition to assisting with strength and conditioning. She was previously the head coach of Trinity College School's women's hockey team in Port Hope, Ont. Most recently, Stefanie was the video coach for the National Women's Development Team during the Hockey Canada Summer Showcase in Calgary.

"We are thrilled to welcome Stef to the Ooks family," said NAIT Athletics Director John Bower. "She is a terrific young coach who is on the rise in Canadian female hockey. When we combine her technical knowledge with her experience in post-secondary sport as both a player and coach, we know that we have found someone who will lead our student-athletes in achieving greatness both in the classroom and on the ice."

Thomson had an outstanding four-year playing career at Union College (NCAA l) in Schenectady, NY., where she was named team MVP in 2014. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, History and Political Science before obtaining her Master of Business Administration, Sport Management from Franklin Pierce University.

Stefanie is looking forward to her new role with the NAIT Ooks women's hockey program. "I would like to thank NAIT for this opportunity to join the women's hockey program and the Edmonton hockey community. The Ooks have been a powerhouse in the ACAC for the past decade; I am very excited to meet the team and to get to work on continuing this success." 

Thomson will be joining newly hired assistant coach Jason Stephens (Golden, B.C.) for the 2018-2019 season. Jason previously served as an assistant coach for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL. The rest of the coaching staff will be announced in the coming weeks.

Stefanie's official first day will be August 29^th but will be available for media contact as early as August 28th.

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Sam Nahrgang • Sports Information • (780) 471-7606 • snahrgang@nait.ca