It's 'super humbling' being named 1st female assistant coach in OHL history, Laura Fortino says

Hamilton's Laura Fortino says she's humbled to become the first female to be named an assistant coach in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

On Monday, Hamilton Bulldogs president and general manager Steve Staios said Fortino, 31, will be the team's assistant coach and director of player development.

"It's super humbling and such an honour and it's a privilege," Fortino told CBC News.

She said she is "just one of those, along with the other women, being a trailblazer and being a role model for the younger generations of females."

"We can step into these roles and we can contribute. We can be an asset to a hockey club and all these other women who have been paving the way in the NHL and the OHL," Fortino said.

She said being in the OHL "speaks volumes" that "the calibre of women that we do have out there that ... can contribute."

These women, she said are "not being hired just because we're a female but we're being hired on our own merit and what we bring to the table and the resumes that we do have and the hard work that we do put in day in and day out to make us who we are and now we can be a difference maker alongside these men."

In July, the New Jersey Devils named Kate Madigan their first female assistant general manager, making her the sixth woman to hold the title in the NHL.

Fortino has been a star with the Canadian national women's team for many years but has never coached before.

"I'm still playing, so it's something that I, you know, I really had to think about," she said. 

"But I've always been passionate about coaching and developing. It's been part of me. I've been doing it for years now. I have my own development sessions that are run throughout the summer for both males and females. 

"So, it's something