ESTABLISHED 1930 • INCORPORATED 1952

A Palos Heights native has broken through the glass ceiling of the National Hockey League. Kendall Coyne Schofield, 28, has been hired as the first-ever female player development coach and youth hockey growth specialist for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Coyne is a long-serving community liaison for the Chicago Blackhawks organization. She will carry over this work in the hybrid role as a youth hockey growth specialist, specifically focused on grassroots youth hockey programs and clinics. This includes the implementation of girls hockey programming and the continued enhancement of her namesake, all-girls program Golden Coynes.

As a player development coach, Coyne will assist the AHL affiliated minor league Rockford IceHogs’ coaching staff in the skills development of current players, while also evaluating, assessing and scouting potential prospects, the Blackhawks said in a news release.

She wants young players to see her as someone who is going to help them to get to the next level to fulfill their NHL dream.