Lethbridge’s Craig enjoying final season of university hockey

By Lethbridge Herald on February 10, 2026.

Nathan Reiter

Lethbridge Herald

It’s been a successful post-secondary career for Hayleigh Craig.

The Lethbridge product is in her fifth and final season with the University of Alberta Pandas women’s hockey team. 

In 108 career games with the Pandas, she has registered 12 goals and 24 assists but the most important aspect that Craig brings to the team doesn’t show up on the scoreboard.

Pandas head coach Howie Draper says Craig’s presence in the locker room has been extremely important for Alberta during her time in the program.

“I think the thing that stands out the most for us is how she’s emerged as an outstanding leader in our program. She’s embraced the values that we espouse with the Pandas. She as much as anyone on our team has been able to live on a daily basis with those values. My guess is she probably came with a very strong set of values that were very similar. As a result, she’s able to behave in a way that is in line with those values on a regular basis. She’s developed a lot of respect from her teammates and coaches.”

While Craig has been suiting up for the Pandas for five years, she’s been living away from home for a lot longer. After playing U15 in Lethbridge, Craig made the decision to move to Lloydminster to play hockey at the U18 AAA level. She says that decision is one that she would make all over again if given the chance.

“That was huge. That was a big step maturity-wise, just being in charge of kind of your own schedule, you got to take care of yourself. I lived with an amazing billet family for both of my years, which did wonders for me. My billet mom went to the U of A and had really good things to say, which helped direct me there as well. There wasn’t a AAA team in Lethbridge, so you kind of had to reach out and go wherever you wanted. I was lucky enough to kind of be able to choose where I wanted to go. Lloyd had that family sense and really good coach, so I kind of made the decision to go the furthest way possible. It was an awesome experience and I would do it again.”

During her time with the Pandas, Craig has been a swiss army knife for Draper and the Alberta coaching staff. After a run of injuries to the Alberta blue line last year, Draper utilized Craig on the back end despite her being a natural forward. 

Draper says Craig is a player who can be trusted in all situations because of how she handles her emotions on the ice. 

“I think poise is probably the best way to put it. She’s never really high and she’s never really low. She’s just a very even keel player, which helps her perform in situations where the pressure is at its highest. She makes good decisions with the puck. She’s where she needs to be in order to support her teammates. She’s an outstanding defensive forward. In fact, she’s played both D as well as forward with us. We ran short in the defensive column a little bit last year and she filled in as a defenseman for a good chunk of time. She can play in any position and we know she’s going to do a great job.”

While Craig is still actively playing, she has her eyes set on a coaching career once she finishes up her U SPORTS eligibility. Craig has joined the Hockey Canada Creating Coaches program, which is an initiative to develop more female coaches across the country. The two-year program allows student-athletes to serve as an assistant coach for a local female team while continuing to play at a university level.

Craig says she really has enjoyed getting to see the game as both a player and a coach this season. 

“It’s a really good way to give back. It’s a great opportunity just because we get to take our development ones as you go through some learning modules. You get paired with a coach mentor, and I’m working with Jason Chimera, who’s a phenomenal coach with OHA. You get the two perspectives now. Playing, you’re still in the game that way, but now coaching, you kind of get to see the other side, which is really cool. I’m hoping to eventually get into coaching once I’m done playing. It’s kind of a good stepping stone just to be able to give back to the community and learn from some of the best people with Howie as my coach and then Jason as my coach mentor.”

Craig has already graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and education. When asked what will make her a strong coach in the future, Draper says Craig’s even keeled nature will pay major dividends for her behind the bench, just like it has for her on the ice. 

“That relaxed, poised leadership that she brings on a regular basis, that sense of calm, cool and collected. For me, having a coach that doesn’t get too emotional one way or the other, I think is a very positive attribute. She’s very wise as well, so she knows the game inside and out, which also lends itself very well to her being able to play in different positions.”

“The most important is that she’s a natural teacher. She’s graduated with an education degree already. She’s got those skills necessary to transfer the knowledge that she has in a good way to young people. I can’t see anything but success for her in the future. I know that she’s interested in the area of coaching and I think she’s going to be a great coach.”

When asked about what advice she would have for a minor hockey player in Lethbridge, Craig says she would say to give it your all. 

“I would say just follow your dreams, see where it takes you. You remember lots of those hockey memories, but it’s more the people that you meet along the way that has the biggest impact on your life. I would say keep going. If you have to move away, take that step, like Jadynn (Morden) and I did and lots of other people from Lethbridge, but if you can stay at home and do what you love, then that’s a good opportunity as well.”

Craig is also teammates with fellow Lethbridge product Jadynn Morden. See a future edition of the Herald for a feature on Morden.