Sommer West | |||
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Born |
Houston, TX, USA |
April 24, 1978 ||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
Position | Forward | ||
Shot | Left | ||
NWHL CWHL team |
Beatrice Aeros Mississauga Chiefs Burlington Barracudas |
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National team | Canada | ||
Playing career | 1998–2012 |
Sommer West (born April 24, 1978 in Houston, Texas and raised in Bowmanville, Ontario) was a Canadian Olympic softball player at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In addition, she was a former member of the Canadian national women’s hockey team. She was also an ice hockey player in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). West has competed for the Mississauga Chiefs and Burlington Barracudas in the CWHL. Currently, she is the head coach of the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. As head coach of the Toronto Furies, she led the squad to the 2014 Clarkson Cup championship.
West was a prominent softball player. She was an All-Star shortstop at both the 1997 and 1998 Canadian women's Nationals. She helped earn a silver medal for Canada in softball at the Pan Am Games in 1999. In addition, West was a member of Team Canada at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, competing at first base. One of her teammates was Olympic ice hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser. West also played first base on the 2002 National softball team.
In ice hockey, West was a member of the U18 Canadian national champions, and a member of the Canadian Under 22 National Team in 1999. West also participated with the Senior National women's team in two Four Nations Cup tournaments (1998 and 1999, respectively).
She also played for Canada in a series vs. Sweden in January 2001 and the TSN Challenge vs. USA in January 2001. Five years later, West attended the Canadian National Women's Team Fall Festival in Kenora, Ontario.
At the age of eighteen, West competed in the National Women's Hockey League. She was part of four NWHL championships four consecutive years.
In 2005-06, she led the league in points and was voted NWHL Offensive Player of the Year.
With the Mississauga Chiefs of the NWHL, West also served as team captain during 2007-08. Her teammates on the Chiefs have included Olympic gold medallists Jennifer Botterill and Sami Jo Small. As a member of the Mississauga Chiefs, she competed in the Esso Women’s Nationals in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.