WATERLOO, Ont. - The Department of Athletics and Recreation is proud to welcome Autumn MacDougall to the Waterloo Warriors, in the role of Associate Coach, Women's Hockey.
A native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, MacDougall boasts an accomplished playing career along with a diverse coaching background in elite youth hockey, prep school athletics, and player development.
MacDougall played five seasons with the University of Alberta Pandas, where she won a U SPORTS National Championship, two Canada West Conference Championships, and earned U SPORTS All-Canadian honours three times. She went on to continue her playing career professionally in both the PHF and Sweden's SDHL.
MacDougall's success in U SPORTS as a player furthered her passion for Canadian university hockey, and coming back to that environment is something she's been working towards and looking forward to since graduating
"I'm very, very passionate about the league," said MacDougall. "I had a good career at U of A, and looking back like I've always wanted to be a part of that as I got older. That was definitely a goal of mine, to be able to come back and coach and inspire the younger generation of female athletes."
Following her playing career, MacDougall quickly transitioned into coaching. Most recently, she served as an Assistant Coach at Appleby College while coaching skills and power skating with multiple organizations throughout the Greater Toronto Area. In the offseason, she has returned to Nova Scotia, where she has spent the past five years developing more than 300 female athletes through her company Peak Performance Female Hockey. With a focus on elite skill development, mentorship, and leadership.
MacDougall is also a member of the NHL Coaches' Association (NHLCA) Female Coaches Program, where she collaborates with and learns from coaches across North America through mentorship, leadership development, and professional networking opportunities.
Having left home to play across the country with the Pandas and then followed professional opportunities across the Atlantic in Europe, MacDougall says making yet another big move to join the Warriors wasn't exactly a difficult decision.
"I've been so used to it from a young age, chasing my goals and dreams anywhere," she said. "Hockey has taken me to so many cool places and so many opportunities that this was a no-brainer."
MacDougall said Waterloo was "the perfect program to go" because of the recent success the Warriors have had but also because of the culture instilled by longtime Head Coach Shaun Reagan.
"Just getting to know Shaun the last few months, he's awesome. He reminds me of my old coach [at Alberta], Howie Draper," she said. "He's obviously a great guy and the girls love him. He's definitely built something really special. I'm excited to help him and excited for the opportunity to be a part of this program."
"We're thrilled to welcome her," said Reagan. "Her youth sports experience, and experience playing at one of the best programs in the country, under one of the best coaches of all time, we think will be really conducive to our environment here as we look to continue to build and ice championship teams. She comes from a culture like that, and it will be great to see what she brings to our program."
The Warriors are coming off a season in which they finished fourth overall in the OUA and lost in triple-overtime to the eventual McCaw Cup champion Guelph Gryphons in the OUA playoffs, before placing in sixth place at the Miller Waste U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship hosted by Waterloo in Elmira.
It's a testament to the growth of the program under Reagan's leadership that MacDougall and the rest of the team have higher ambitions heading into 2026-2027.
"Shaun has built this program to be successful," said MacDougall. "That's the standard, that's the expectation. Whether you're a first-year or fifth-year, you have to understand what our expectations are and just buy into the process."
The Warriors will ice a younger team this year having graduated 12 players in 2025-2026, and that's where MacDougall 's experience in player development will be key to continuing to raise the standard.
"It's about making sure that the younger girls and the first-year players are confident in their abilities to be part of this program and to be a part of this team. There's a reason why everybody's part of this program and team, so just reminding them what our successes and what our expectations are moving forward."
She also brings a hunger to win that will fit right in on a Warriors squad eager to return to the top of U SPORTS women's hockey.
"In 2017 is when we won [a national championship at Alberta], and after that I just wanted to keep winning."
MacDougall's Pandas were the top-ranked team heading into the 2020 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship in Charlottetown, P.E.I., a Homecoming of sorts for the Atlantic Canadian, whose family had made the trip to the island to watch her play. Mere hours before the Pandas' quarterfinal game on March 13, 2020, however, the tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When asked if that missed opportunity has fueled her desire to win again as a coach at the U SPORTS level, MacDougall didn't hesitate to answer.
"Yeah, 100%."
In an ironic twist of fate, MacDougall was present for another missed opportunity for Alberta in 2024, when the #8-seed host Warriors took down the top-ranked Canada West champions in the quarterfinal of that year's Miller Waste U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship.
"I just remember being like, 'oh my goodness, I did not expect that,' but it was a good game." MacDougall says she was impressed then by the fast, hard-forechecking style of play of the Warriors, and looks forward to watching it this season from behind the bench.
The Warriors begin their season at Toronto on October 17. They'll face the York Lions in their home opener on Friday, October 23 at 7:00 PM.
