Proven Coaching Experience
More than a decade of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and III levels, helping athletes grow as competitors, leaders, and people.
Leadership coaching for athletes, captains & teams — rooted in elite hockey
Become the Leader. Shape the Culture.
Elite leadership and culture training from an NCAA Ice Hockey National Champion, three-year captain, and Division I & III coach. Show up with your hardest challenge — leave with a clear plan you can execute.
Want to learn more? Explore programs
Navigate team dynamics
Improve Communication
Build trust
Lead without a title
Conflict Resolution
Accountability
What You'll Gain
Individualized Leadership Development
No generic leadership advice. Every athlete receives coaching tailored to their strengths, challenges, and goals.
Build Influence. Shape Culture.
Learn how to earn trust, communicate effectively, and create a positive impact on your team—whether you wear a captain's letter or not.
Develop the confidence to lead honestly and strengthen your team culture.
Testimonials
“Sophie used to take over team timeouts as a player during the biggest moments — it's something I had never seen before and still find remarkable to this day.”
Greg Fargo
Head Coach, New York Sirens · PWHL
“Being a leader under Sophie taught me to embrace tough feedback, separate emotion from instruction, and turn criticism into growth. This is a mindset that has been essential in my finance career.”
Neris Archambault
Senior Captain, Norwich University → JP Morgan
Leaders forged at the highest levels.
Sophie has coached captains, national award winners, and professional players — athletes who learned to lead their teams on and off the ice.
Katelyn Parker
Colgate University → Seattle Kraken
Two-year captain at Colgate and program-record holder for games played — Parker went on to become the first woman on the Seattle Kraken's player development staff, serving as Senior Manager of Player Development and Scout for Team USA.
Jessie Eldridge
Colgate University → PWHL Pro
A program-defining leader at Colgate — her record-setting career (163 points, Patty Kazmaier Award finalist) helped lead the Raiders to the first NCAA Championship game in school history. Now a professional in the PWHL and a member of Canada's national team.
Neris Archambault
Norwich University → JP Morgan
A senior captain at Norwich who led on the ice and in the locker room — remembered for the overtime winner that toppled a top-ranked rival. Known for her composure under pressure and her ability to elevate everyone around her. Now pursuing her MBA and a career in finance.
Annika Zalewski
Colgate University → NWHL → Business Owner
Captain of the Colgate Raiders during their run to the NCAA Championship game — a second-place national finish. Known for a relentless, honest work ethic, she set the standard for her teammates on and off the ice and went on to play professionally in the NWHL.
The fastest way to learn is from someone who has led inside pressure, been in locker rooms, and built elite culture up close.
Offerings
Leadership Assessment
A personalized leadership and personality evaluation for NCAA and college-bound high school athletes — built around self-awareness, communication, and team impact.
Captain's Academy
Ongoing, in-season coaching for captains who want to intentionally shape team culture — trust, hard conversations, accountability, and leading under pressure.
Leading Without a Letter
Leadership development for athletes who want to influence culture without a title — building trust, communication, and the kind of influence others follow.
Hey there,
I've spent years as a captain, national champion, and NCAA coach, and I've learned one thing: talent alone doesn't build great teams.
Too often, captains are handed a letter and expected to figure leadership out for themselves. Some do. Many don't. As a result, communication breaks down, accountability becomes inconsistent, and culture suffers.
Captain's Academy was created to change that.
This is intentional leadership development for athletes who want to make a real impact on their teams. No generic advice. No motivational fluff. Just practical tools, honest conversations, and proven leadership principles drawn from elite athletic environments.
The goal isn't simply to create better captains—it's to develop leaders who strengthen culture, build trust, and elevate the people around them.
Sophie Leclerc Doherty
NCAA champion · head coach · leadership developer
A real-life foundation
Forged at a military college.
Sophie played and coached at Norwich University — the oldest private military college in the country. This is leadership grounded in grit, honor, and honesty: doing the hard, right thing when no one is watching. Not mainstream. Not buzzwords. A standard your athletes will feel.
This coaching works because we start with clarity — not a generic curriculum.
1
Start the conversation
We talk about where you are as a leader right now — and the kind of leader you want to become.
2
Get honest
Together we name your strengths, your blind spots, and the moments that challenge you most.
3
Build the foundation
We work on the real skills of leadership — communication, trust, accountability, and leading under pressure.
4
Lead for real
You put it into practice with your team, and we work through what actually happens on the ice and in the room.
5
Reflect and grow
We look at what worked, what didn't, and how you're showing up differently than when we started.
6
Lead beyond yourself
You become the leader who raises the standard and develops the people around you — long after we're done.
FAQ
Captain's Academy is Sophie's signature leadership coaching for captains and emerging leaders — peer leadership, hard conversations, trust, and shaping team culture. It's one of three offerings, alongside a Leadership Assessment and Leading Without a Letter: coaching for athletes who want to lead, with or without a title.
National championship-winning player, three-year team captain, and NCAA head coach (Norwich University) and Division I assistant coach (Colgate). She has mentored national award winners and professional athletes at both Division I and Division III levels.
Sophie has competed and coached inside elite hockey environments for over a decade. Content is grounded in locker rooms, playoffs, and real team dynamics — not corporate keynotes repackaged for athletes.
Yes — that's the recommended path. Start with a Leadership Assessment, a single one-on-one coaching session, a preseason captain session, or a 4-week leadership series. See ways to start.
Both. Coaching is matched to where you are and what works for your schedule — in-person, virtual, or a mix of the two.
Sophie's deepest expertise is hockey, but leadership, culture, and captain development principles translate across team sports. Reach out to discuss your sport and context.