With an Olympic silver medal, as well as four Women’s World Championship golds and one silver to her name, Shelly Picard is no stranger to representing the U.S.

Picard returned to the international stage in a new role in 2025: intern coach. 

Picard served as an intern coach under head coach Liz Keady Norton with the U.S. team at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Vantaa, Finland. Though she’s had plenty of experience representing the United States as a player, this was Picard’s first opportunity in her new role as a coach.

After three years playing with the Metropolitan Riveters of the PHF, Picard moved into a role in the league’s front office. In 2021, she shifted gears and began to work at Princeton as an assistant coach. In 2023, she joined the staff of former Riveters teammate Kelly Nash as an assistant coach at Long Island University. 

Picard said she didn’t consciously know she was going to move into coaching as a career. She’d coached youth teams and said that when she realized her playing career was over, coaching felt like the natural next step. 

“Nothing else seemed to make sense. I went right into coaching and never looked back,” she said. 

In Norton’s second year leading the U18s, two-time Olympian Courtney Kennedy and Bemidji State head coach Amber Fryklund joined her staff as assistant coaches. Picard said she feels lucky to just be in the room with these three talented women, much less work with and learn from them. 

“They are all phenomenal coaches and have been doing it a long time,” Picard said. “I feel like I mostly just listen and provide some insight when I've got things to add, but for the most part I’m just learning a ton.”

Though she downplays it, Picard brought something unique to this staff — she played in two U18 Women’s World Championships. She won silver with the U.S. in 2010 and captained the 2011 team to gold. That experience helped her relate closely to the players on the 2025 roster. 

“I was really lucky to get to have the experience at U18s,” she said. “You're dealing with the nerves of playing for your country for the first time and being put into roles that you're not used to. As a coach, you try to make sure they're managing nerves, but also reminding them ‘You belong here. Believe in yourself and believe that you're a part of something that's way bigger than just yourself.’

“It's a really special moment to be a part of.”

Managing expectations, nerves and confidence is all especially important with this age group. Picard said being a role player with the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team enables her to help girls on the team navigate the transition from being the best player on their team to becoming a unit with the best players from around the country. They have to be team players while playing their best every day and that can be difficult, said Picard.

Picard hopes her past experiences help the new generation find, and be happy in, their roles with Team USA. 

“From my perspective, my job is to bring a positive energy all the time, whether that's in practice or giving the kids a little bit of a confidence boost with positive feedback,” she said. 

“I just like being around them and seeing when they're working hard at something and then it clicks. I give our kids credit; they've all been fantastic and really bought into what we're trying to do here. I feel really grateful for the group that we have. They're just a bunch of goofballs who just happen to be really good at hockey, and they're really great people.”

The U18 Women’s World Championship has come a long way since Picard played in the tournament. She loved seeing the full stands and excitement surrounding the game, both for her in Finland and from fans who watched back home. 

“There are so many eyes on this tournament now who see these players for how talented they are and the athletes that they are. I’m really proud of where the sport has come,” Picard said. 

“It’s awesome that these athletes get this sort of limelight. That's what they deserve.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.