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JANUARY 2019 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 29 WAVE –Bob Corkum, head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team "It's seamless… It's part of the fabric that has made up USA Hockey and women's hockey at this point." h e n m e m b e r s o f t h e U. S. Wo m e n 's N a t i o n a l Te a m gathered in Chicago for the Fo u r N a t i o n s p r e - c a m p i n November, they were joined by six players who weren't members of the team. Well, at least not yet anyway. Getting a chance to practice with and workout alongside some of the best in the game were six rising stars— Hadley Hartmetz, Caroline Harvey, Hannah Hogenson, Abbey Murphy, Dominique Petrie and Skylar Vetter— who will compete at the IIHF U-18 World Championship in Obihiro, Japan. With four straight Under-18 World C h a m p i o n s h i p s t o i t s c r e d i t , U S A Ho c ke y h a s b u i l t a f o u n d a t i o n f o r excellence through its U-18 program t h a t p e r m e a t e s u p t o i t s Wo m e n 's National Team, which recently backed up its gold-medal effort at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games with a fourth consecutive Four Nations Cup title. In total, 14 members of the U.S. squad that won gold in PyeongChang, South Korea cut their competitive teeth with the U-18 program. One of those young players who had an immediate impact at the highest level is Cayla Barnes, a 19-year-old defenseman who won Olympic gold one year after cap- taining the U-18 squad. And now, inviting U-18 play- ers to skate with the National Team enhances those bonds by giving the youngsters an oppor- tunity to see what it takes to get to the next level. "I remember being a U-18 myself and being able to train with the N a t i o n a l Te a m ," s a i d t w o - t i m e Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield. "For them to see our habits, what we do on and off the ice, how we approach our nutrition, our sleep, our practice habits, it's important because those are the things they're going to have to do if they want to continue to put on the U.S. jersey." The initiative has made the transi- tion easier when players are ready to make that jump, as it provides a sense of familiarity and cohesiveness, leaving one less hurdle to deal with while try- ing to raise their level of play. "It's seamless, it really is. That's part of the culture," said current U.S. Women's National Team head coach Bob Corkum. "The younger girls come in, they're immediately taken under the wing of the older veterans. Showing them how we do things here. It's part of the fabric that has made up USA Hockey and women's hockey at this point." For Abbey Murphy, the opportunity to skate with some of her idols was a surreal experience, especially with the camp located 30 minutes from her home in Evergreen Park, Ill. "Honestly, it was unbelievable when I heard about it," said Murphy, who i s c o m m i tt e d t o t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Minnesota. "The experience to be able to play with all these older girls was an unbelievable feeling. Especially look- ing up to all of them, it's crazy. It was a lot of fun. I'm glad I got invited." U-18 Women's head coach Maura Crowell, who was on hand at the Four Nations pre-camp, feels like the expe- rience will be an important piece as the U.S. shoots for a fifth straight gold in January. W