Brooke Disher (centre) is Team Canada's captain at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship.
photo: Chris Tanouye / HHOF-IIHF Images
You can see the energy and smarts that defender Brooke Disher brings to Team Canada a mile away. (Or a kilometre away, if you’re on the Canadian side of the border.) At the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship in Wisconsin, the 17-year-old Canadian captain has been working hard to lead her team by example, jumping into the rush when possible and also playing opponents tough in her own end. She plays big minutes every game.
Disher, who was born in Lake Country, British Columbia and grew up in Fort St. John, is coming off a strong season with RHA Kelowna. Her 12 goals and 21 assists in 33 games this season left her just one back of teammate and fellow defender Sara Swiderski of Langley, who led the club. They’re two of the six BC players to crack this year’s Team Canada.
Back in November, Disher got to celebrate capturing the 2021 Western Regional Women's U18 Championship. She was named captain for Team BC and set up the 3-2 overtime winner against Alberta. Now her eyes are fixed on the dream of winning IIHF gold in Wisconsin – and, later, of suiting up for Boston University in 2022-23.
IIHF.com caught up with Disher on Tuesday after Canada rebounded from the 2-0 loss to Finland on Day One by beating Sweden 3-1.
How proud are you of the way the girls performed today?
I'm so proud of everyone. Everyone really came together and bounced back off yesterday. We’ve definitely got momentum now going into our game against the U.S.
For Rhea Hicks to step up with not one but two goals against Sweden, what does that say about her?
It’s awesome. Everyone is bringing something different to the table and you can depend on everyone.
You're putting in a lot of minutes out there. How would you evaluate your own performance so far?
I think it's quite good. I guess with the penalty kill, we were on the penalty kill a lot on the third, and I definitely got the puck down when I needed to.
Looking ahead to the Americans, what's it going to take to succeed there?
We’ve just got to play our game and stick to what we know. Today, we focused on winning our one-on-one battles and that's key in our game against the U.S.
What do you think of the ice surface here at LaBahn Arena?
It's just a beautiful facility. I'm kind of excited to see what the 8pm time is, so it's not as bright in there! It was a little bit bright today, but still, a great rink.
Take us back to the moment when you were told you’d be wearing the “C” at this tournament. What was your reaction?
As everyone knows, I definitely broke down into tears! And it was a super-special moment. I didn't expect it at all. So yeah, it was surreal for sure.
What did it mean to you to see fellow British Columbian Micah Zandee-Hart win an Olympic gold medal in February?
She’s been one of the biggest role models for me. I look up to her so much. I just know how hard she works and I was so, so happy for her. She was actually my coach for a year [with RHA], so tactically she helped me a lot, too. She's always been someone who's given me confidence in what I bring to the table.
You're friends with Sara Swiderski. What kind of growth have you seen in her as a player and a person over the last couple of years?
We've gotten to play together the last two years and it's definitely been a fun ride. She's awesome. It's so cool to play on our Team BC team and our club team and now be here too. It's like we've done it all together, too.
Overall, how much fun is it to have so many BC girls on the team this year?
Yeah, especially coming off of our gold at regionals! Yay! [laughs] It’s really cool. I think this might be a record for the amount of BC girls on the team. So it’s super-awesome.
Do you have family and friends here to cheer you on?
Yeah! Both sets of my grandparents, my brother, his girlfriend and my parents are here.
Who's your favorite player in women's hockey?
I've always looked up to Laura Fortino and Renata Fast.
How about in the NHL?
Cale Makar for sure. Just the way he demands the blue line.
You're committed to Boston University. What made you choose BU?
I was talking to them for a while and then definitely my campus visit just sealed the deal for me. Love the campus.
Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions you can tell us about?
Hmm, not too much. But if it worked the day before, I like to keep it relatively the same.
When you're working out, do you have some favourite music?
I like either country or Taylor Swift, which is not everyone's first choice, but it's mine! [laughs]
Who is the dressing room DJ on the team?
Rhea! She's been getting us fired up before the games.
Have you played the NHL 22 video game since EA added the women's national teams?
Not a video gamer, so... [laughs]
Anybody else on the team who's a gamer?
I’m not sure. I think Swiddy [Sara Swiderski] plays Fortnite. That's about all I know.
In 2023, the Women’s Worlds will take place somewhere in Canada. If you were in charge of choosing the city, which one would you go for?
Hmm, that's a tough one. But I think they need to have one in Calgary with all the fans allowed. At the world championship last year, they were robbed of having all the fans in the building. So I think it'd be pretty cool to have it in Calgary again.
What’s the message to the team going into the next game against the Americans?
I think we’ve just gotta have confidence in ourselves and not worry about our exhibition game and just keep moving forward.
Disher, who was born in Lake Country, British Columbia and grew up in Fort St. John, is coming off a strong season with RHA Kelowna. Her 12 goals and 21 assists in 33 games this season left her just one back of teammate and fellow defender Sara Swiderski of Langley, who led the club. They’re two of the six BC players to crack this year’s Team Canada.
Back in November, Disher got to celebrate capturing the 2021 Western Regional Women's U18 Championship. She was named captain for Team BC and set up the 3-2 overtime winner against Alberta. Now her eyes are fixed on the dream of winning IIHF gold in Wisconsin – and, later, of suiting up for Boston University in 2022-23.
IIHF.com caught up with Disher on Tuesday after Canada rebounded from the 2-0 loss to Finland on Day One by beating Sweden 3-1.
How proud are you of the way the girls performed today?
I'm so proud of everyone. Everyone really came together and bounced back off yesterday. We’ve definitely got momentum now going into our game against the U.S.
For Rhea Hicks to step up with not one but two goals against Sweden, what does that say about her?
It’s awesome. Everyone is bringing something different to the table and you can depend on everyone.
You're putting in a lot of minutes out there. How would you evaluate your own performance so far?
I think it's quite good. I guess with the penalty kill, we were on the penalty kill a lot on the third, and I definitely got the puck down when I needed to.
Looking ahead to the Americans, what's it going to take to succeed there?
We’ve just got to play our game and stick to what we know. Today, we focused on winning our one-on-one battles and that's key in our game against the U.S.
What do you think of the ice surface here at LaBahn Arena?
It's just a beautiful facility. I'm kind of excited to see what the 8pm time is, so it's not as bright in there! It was a little bit bright today, but still, a great rink.
Take us back to the moment when you were told you’d be wearing the “C” at this tournament. What was your reaction?
As everyone knows, I definitely broke down into tears! And it was a super-special moment. I didn't expect it at all. So yeah, it was surreal for sure.
What did it mean to you to see fellow British Columbian Micah Zandee-Hart win an Olympic gold medal in February?
She’s been one of the biggest role models for me. I look up to her so much. I just know how hard she works and I was so, so happy for her. She was actually my coach for a year [with RHA], so tactically she helped me a lot, too. She's always been someone who's given me confidence in what I bring to the table.
You're friends with Sara Swiderski. What kind of growth have you seen in her as a player and a person over the last couple of years?
We've gotten to play together the last two years and it's definitely been a fun ride. She's awesome. It's so cool to play on our Team BC team and our club team and now be here too. It's like we've done it all together, too.
Overall, how much fun is it to have so many BC girls on the team this year?
Yeah, especially coming off of our gold at regionals! Yay! [laughs] It’s really cool. I think this might be a record for the amount of BC girls on the team. So it’s super-awesome.
Do you have family and friends here to cheer you on?
Yeah! Both sets of my grandparents, my brother, his girlfriend and my parents are here.
Who's your favorite player in women's hockey?
I've always looked up to Laura Fortino and Renata Fast.
How about in the NHL?
Cale Makar for sure. Just the way he demands the blue line.
You're committed to Boston University. What made you choose BU?
I was talking to them for a while and then definitely my campus visit just sealed the deal for me. Love the campus.
Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions you can tell us about?
Hmm, not too much. But if it worked the day before, I like to keep it relatively the same.
When you're working out, do you have some favourite music?
I like either country or Taylor Swift, which is not everyone's first choice, but it's mine! [laughs]
Who is the dressing room DJ on the team?
Rhea! She's been getting us fired up before the games.
Have you played the NHL 22 video game since EA added the women's national teams?
Not a video gamer, so... [laughs]
Anybody else on the team who's a gamer?
I’m not sure. I think Swiddy [Sara Swiderski] plays Fortnite. That's about all I know.
In 2023, the Women’s Worlds will take place somewhere in Canada. If you were in charge of choosing the city, which one would you go for?
Hmm, that's a tough one. But I think they need to have one in Calgary with all the fans allowed. At the world championship last year, they were robbed of having all the fans in the building. So I think it'd be pretty cool to have it in Calgary again.
What’s the message to the team going into the next game against the Americans?
I think we’ve just gotta have confidence in ourselves and not worry about our exhibition game and just keep moving forward.