Skip to content
Blake Bolden.
Book Blake

Speaking

Youth Hockey Speaker: Blake Bolden

Blake Bolden started in youth hockey with the Cleveland Barons and the Ohio Flames. She went on to win gold at the first two U18 Women's World Championships with Team USA, captain Boston College, win the Clarkson Cup and the first Isobel Cup, and become the second woman to scout in the NHL with the LA Kings. Today she is a lead analyst for the PWHL and on Amazon Prime's Wednesday Night Hockey.

For a youth hockey program, that is the whole road, told by someone who rode every bus on it.

Check availabilityDownload speaker one-sheet (PDF)(opens in a new tab)

A girls' hockey speaker who has been every player in the room

Blake was a beginner once, and she says so. She learned to skate pushing a chair with a tennis ball on it, and could not stop on her left side for her first two years. Young players love hearing that from a pro.

She was also cut, and told she was uncoachable. She tells teams how she handled that, and about the coach who later called to draft her in the first round. Players who just missed a roster hear exactly what they need.

As a team banquet speaker or a sports leadership speaker for captains, Blake talks about what a team owes each other. She has mentored young players since her own playing days, through EmBolden Her and now Athlete Mentorships, and a Q&A after the talk is easy to add.

Coaches and parents hear the same stories from another angle: what it is like to be the kid who just got cut, and why the adults around that kid matter. Programs in Southern California are close to home for Blake, so Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego events need no separate travel quote. She travels to rinks nationwide as well.

Blake Bolden laughing with young hockey players in Black, Silver and Bold jerseys at the rink

Topics

Her topics, framed for hockey players

Her six themes, for squirts through college and the parents and coaches behind them.

  1. 01

    Facing Adversity

    Being the only girl, or the only Black player, on a team, and playing your game anyway.

  2. 02

    Using Failure as a Tool

    Getting cut and what to do the morning after. She has been there, and she tells players how she handled it.

  3. 03

    Getting Used to Being Uncomfortable

    Moving up a level, switching teams, leaving home for prep school.

  4. 04

    Trusting the Process

    Early ice, dryland, and the seasons where nothing seems to change until it does.

  5. 05

    Following Intuition

    How she chose Northwood, Boston College and a pro career, and what she would tell her younger self.

  6. 06

    Taking Advantage of Your Current Situation

    Make the most of the team you are on now, whatever level it is.

Speaker reel

Watch Blake speak

Two and a half minutes from one of her talks: learning to skate pushing a chair, being cut and called uncoachable, the call that brought her to the Boston Blades, and the young girl who told Blake she started playing because of her.

From an organizer

Blake's visit was a total hit with our community, and the kids especially got so much out of her talks. She's amazing in the way that she can command a full room and then also connect so deeply with a small group of kids around a lunch table. I really appreciate the time and effort she put into tailoring the message for different audiences; they'll take her advice into all the spaces they go, both in sports and in life.

Carly Rodriguez

Director of Communications, The Thacher School

Speaking fees start at $7,500

Travel outside Southern California is quoted separately. Multi-session visits are packaged on request.

Check availability

Questions organizers ask

Can Blake speak at our end-of-season banquet?

Yes. Banquets are a good fit, and a short Q&A with the players afterward is easy to add. Tell us the date, the age groups and how many families will be there.

Can she meet with a girls' team on its own?

Yes. Small groups are her favorite part. A talk for the whole association and a session with a girls' team works well on one visit.

Does she run camps or clinics?

Blake's events are talks, small-group sessions and Q&A. For ongoing development, her online program for athletes 14 to 18 is at athletementorships.com.

What does a team visit cost?

Speaking fees start at $7,500. Multi-session team visits are packaged on request.

More ways Blake speaks

All speaking topics and formats

Bring Blake to your event

Tell us the date, the place and who will be in the room. Blake and her team read every inquiry.

Start an inquiry