It might be late June but Kirby Gray is already looking ahead to the 2024- 2025 hockey season.

The 16-year-old forward from Elkhorn recently participated in Hockey Manitoba’s Female U18 Program of Excellence Top-68 Camp in early June after winning a bronze medal with Team Manitoba at the 2024 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC) in Alberta in early May. Gray scored three goals and added an assist in four games at the 2024 NAHC.

“I started off pretty slow and then by the second or third game in, I started picking it up. I had a really good semi-final game where we went to three OT’s. I thought I played really well that game,” Gray recalled. “These tournaments are really cool. There’s dancing and beadwork and all that stuff. To be able to be on a team like that and represent Manitoba is pretty awesome.”

Gray is coming off an impressive 2023-2024 campaign with the U18 AAA Yellowhead Chiefs where she registered 17 goals and seven assists in 36 games. Her performance did not go unnoticed as she has committed to play for Mount Royal University in Calgary beginning in the 2025-26 season.

“She’s a coach’s dream,” said Derek Tibbatts, Head Coach of the U18 AAA Yellowhead Chiefs. “She tries hard every shift. She does what you expect her to do whether she plays left wing or centre. She doesn’t shrug her shoulders at that. She will go play any position. Talented hockey player who sees the ice well. Works hard. Great on draws. She can score at will. She is a quiet leader. When she does say something, the team listens. She leads by example. Her parents raised her right.”

Born in Winnipeg, Gray lived in Lake Frances (Woodlands, near St. Laurent), until she was four years old before moving to Elkhorn. She is a proud member of the Red River Metis Nation and follows the Seven Sacred Teachings, which are a set of teachings on human conduct towards others.

“I try to play the game by following them. To be truthful, respectful and honest to my coaches, teammates and other athletes. Being humble about winning and losing. Not being disrespectful or unsportsmanlike to everyone around you is very important.” Gray said.

Gray’s well-rounded nature can be traced back directly to her parents, who instilled strong values in their three children (Kirby has twin siblings, Halle and Hayden who are 13 years old) from an early age.

“Family is huge in Metis culture. Kids are looked at as a gift. You don’t want your kids to go through what the elders have gone through so you teach them about it. Educate them about the resilience I guess.” Dawn-Rae Gray said.

Even though Gray is still young herself, she is aware that there are young Indigenous players who are already looking up to her and following her career closely.

“Our Chiefs team has a Junior Chiefs Camp every year for 12 and under and we go on the ice with them for an hour and a half and teach them drills and then we work out with them and show them the dressing room and all that stuff. I always try to carry myself professionally so that if people are watching, I’m respectful. ” Kirby Gray said.

In addition to playing high level hockey, Kirby competes in track and field and rodeo (breakaway roping, goat tying, barrel racing).  She ended the season off in 3rd place in the Manitoba High School year-end standings which qualifies her to represent Manitoba at the National High School Rodeo Finals in Wyoming in July as well as the Canadian High School Rodeo Finals which will take place from August 1 – 3.

Hockey is Gray’s main focus however and she has lofty goals in the coming years when it comes to her career path.

“One of my main goals this summer is to make it farther in POE than I did last year. I made Top-40 last year so I would like to go farther hopefully. Definitely just work on the smaller things that I can. I just want to keep growing and a have big year with the Chiefs. It’s definitely a long term goal of mine to play professionally.”