Laurier’s Paton to coach Canadian women’s hockey team at 2025 FISU Winter World University Games

U SPORTS announced Tuesday that Kelly Paton, Head Coach and Manager of Women’s Hockey Operations of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, will serve as head coach of the Canadian women’s hockey team at the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games from January 13-23 in Torino, Italy.

"I am incredibly humbled and excited to have been selected to lead Women’s Hockey Team Canada at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Torino, Italy. It is an honour to represent our nation in this capacity. Building on the momentum from the 2023 FISU Games in Lake Placid, I look forward to working with the top talent across U SPORTS, as we strive for excellence on the international stage." 

Paton is no stranger to the FISU Games, having earned a gold medal from Canada’s triumph in Lake Placid in 2023, as well as a silver medal from 2017, when the Canadians fell in a hard-fought championship game with Russia.  

“'I'm grateful for the opportunity to draw on previous FISU experiences to help shape our foundations for expectations in Torino. The FISU Games uniquely unite student-athletes from around the globe. We are excited to use this platform to celebrate our U SPORTS student-athletes and represent Canada on the international stage." 

After leading the University of Western Ontario Women’s Hockey program for two seasons, Paton took the reins at Laurier in 2018. She just navigated the program to its best finish in nearly a decade, earning a BFL Women in Coaching Award for her efforts.  

The award celebrates a coach who has made a significant contribution to the game, and Paton was named the winner in the High-Performance category. As the national winner in her category, Paton took part in Canada's National Women's Team camp in September. 

“Leading Canada at the FISU Games is a well-deserved opportunity for Kelly, as I know how hard she has worked and the preparation she has put into elevating her coaching acumen,” said Laurier Associate Director of Interuniversity Sport Programs, Ryan Lannan. “It is a testament to her coaching pedigree and acknowledges the success she has had in past experiences representing team Canada at FISU games. Not only will she be representing Team Canada, but it also embodies the growth and strength of what she has cultivated with the Golden Hawks. We are looking forward to cheering on Kelly and all of Team Canada at the upcoming games in Italy.”

The Woodstock, Ontario product who starred for the University of New Hampshire in her playing career, registering 162 points in 141 career games, will work to build the team’s coaching and support staff in the coming weeks.