Female USA Hockey player memberships are growing in the US, while male USA Hockey player memberships remain flat season over season.

It is true that there are more male hockey players than female hockey players; therefore the increasing percentage can be perceived as easier to obtain. However, it doesn’t change the fact that there were close to 7,000 more female hockey players in 2018-19 than there were in 2017-18. Meanwhile, male participation dropped roughly by 1,000 hockey players over the same period.

Breaking it down by age group for female membership, we can see all age groups increased season over season with a bulk of the growth coming from the ages of 7 to 12.

On a State by State/district basis, 40 of the 51 areas saw increase in female USA Hockey memberships.

Here are the top 20 states by volume of increase in female memberships.

Washington State is right at the national average with 4% increase season over season and 17th in total volume of female players added.

When you look at Washington State by age group, the bulk of the 57 additional female hockey players came from the 7-8 year old age range, while net additions in the slightly older age groups (15+) remained flat.

For Washington State, the arrival of the NHL should act as a catalyst to female hockey participation across the state in the same fashion the Vegas Golden Knights provided a lift in Nevada of female participation when they entered the league. In the Puget Sound, youth and adult hockey associations are constrained by ice availability in the area, but more ice is already on the way. SnoKing Hockey Association is adding a facility with two sheets of ice in Snoqualmie that is targeted to open in the fall of 2020. Meanwhile, the Seattle NHL Club is building a three-sheet training center in Seattle’s Northgate area that is projected to be ready in June of 2021. The training center will be made available for public use when the team is not training.

All data was compiled from the USA Hockey Membership Reports located here.

For more information on youth and adult hockey organizations and associations in Washington state, here is a list of known hockey associations:

Youth Hockey Leagues

Adult Hockey Leagues

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