Jordyn Verbeek: Team first

The Stingers goaltender passes on the lessons she’s learned

SportsFeatureSamuel Kayll — Published February 11, 2025 6 minutes

For some, this message could come off as cliché. After all, the mantra “team first” lies at the core of the Concordia University women’s hockey team’s philosophy. Yet, Jordyn Verbeek encompasses this idea unlike anyone else. 

To witness Verbeek in action is to watch a warrior push herself to the limit in the name of her team’s success. To talk to her in person is to understand someone who is so unselfishly, entirely committed to the teamwork crucial to success in collegiate sports. While “team first” resembles an overarching idea of camaraderie to many, Verbeek lives that idea every day.

Just ask her coach.

For Stingers head coach Julie Chu, Verbeek’s contribution to Concordia’s culture can’t be understated. 

“Regardless of what happens, she puts her best foot forward every single day,” Chu said. “We say we want to live our culture, but she truly does it every way possible.”

Arriving at Concordia

Growing up in Langley, B.C., Verbeek tried every sport before narrowing her focus down to two choices: hockey or cheerleading. Influenced further by her father Richard Verbeek and brother Tyler Verbeek—both hockey players themselves—Verbeek committed to a future on the ice.

“I had to make my decision, and I went with hockey,” Verbeek said. “I just loved it from the moment I stepped into the net.”

Spurred by the realization of a possible future in hockey, Verbeek doubled down on her hockey journey.

“I joined travel teams, I played on my provincial team, I did all that,” Verbeek said. “I was serious from a young age.”

Verbeek’s provincial journey led her to the Greater Vancouver Comets of the British Columbia Elite Hockey League. In her final season, she posted a 1.33 goals-against average along with five shutouts for a record of 14-1-1. Her stellar finish presented another decision: where to attend university. That’s when head coach Chu entered the picture.

Chu liked what she saw. Verbeek had talent, but just as importantly, her character stood out. Chu praised Verbeek’s courage as well as her willingness to connect with the team’s philosophy.

“She's the perfect fit of personality, being adventurous enough to move across the country to a province that is bilingual,” Chu said. “We saw, obviously, there was a good goaltender, but when we got a chance to have her on a visit, we knew that her character was really high, and she bought into our program.”

Verbeek arrived on campus ready to work and developed steadily as a player and teammate. It helped to have Alice Philbert, Concordia’s fourth-year starter, to learn from and grow alongside. 

“Alice worked super hard and was committed to her goals, and she brought us along on that journey,” Verbeek said. “I tried to take what I learned from her and apply it in my own ways.”

Despite limited playing time in her first two seasons, Verbeek’s dedication made an impression. To illustrate, Chu described the aftermath of an injury Verbeek suffered in her very first team practice.

“[Jordyn] was still able to skate, but she couldn't take shots,” Chu said. “Then next practice, she's out there in a corner, conditioning herself. She could have said, ‘I don't know if I can do this.’ But she did the opposite. She goes, ‘What can I do? Work hard and push myself.’”

Even as Verbeek matured into a starter, she never lost her positive attitude and work ethic. She emphasized her focus on her own decisions as the key to her mentality.

“I have to control what I can control,” Verbeek explained. “Showing up, having a good attitude, working hard—that's all you can do, especially if you don't have the choice on what the coaches decide.”

Chu pointed to Verbeek’s supportive demeanour as a catalyst for the Stingers locker room. 

“Our culture is driven by our players. Having someone like Jordyn who is a glue person, who has the ability to be around people and check in on them, that definitely helps our environment,” Chu said.

But Verbeek relies on her team just as much as they rely on her. The culture that drew her to Concordia in the first place hasn’t dissipated. 

“We're comfortable being who we are on this team,” Verbeek said. “We're really a family, and if I'm ever struggling, I know 25 people who have my back. That helps me navigate through the hard times in university. So I think it's really special what we have.”

And Verbeek’s journey hasn’t ended yet. She’s still handing down her lessons, just as she learned her own.

A culture and legacy left behind

When Arianne Leblanc stepped onto campus at Concordia, she immediately felt the support from Verbeek. The second-year netminder has witnessed Verbeek’s team-centred mentality first-hand.

“[Verbeek] has always been really kind from the start, so she allowed me to feel welcome in the team when I first came,” Leblanc said. “Our relationship has grown into a great friendship since.”

Chu pointed out the bond between Verbeek and Leblanc, as well as first-year Addison Cochrane, who rounds out the Stingers’ goalie trio.

“One of Jordyn’s great assets is that she has the ability to be with different people and make them feel at ease,” Chu said. “Jordyn was able to do that for Arianne, and the same when Addie [Cochrane] came in this year. Those goaltenders get a chance to feel welcomed, and they can watch how hard she works and how open she is to feedback.”

Leblanc appreciates Verbeek’s ability to recognize the team’s needs and support them accordingly.

“No matter the situation, she's always going to find a way to cheer the team up,” Leblanc said. “We don't lose often but if it's a loss she always tries to bring jokes after the game to cheer everyone up. Even on the bench we always hear her so she's a great person and teammate.”

Verbeek also does her part to will her team to victory.

On Feb. 2, Concordia hosted the Université de Montréal Carabins. Two days before, the Carabins handed the Stingers their first season loss. Both teams eagerly wanted to prove themselves.

Verbeek played superbly, flying across the net to throw her pads into harm’s way. In double overtime, Concordia captain Caroline Moquin-Joubert broke the deadlock to walk off the victory. As the Stingers rushed the ice, Verbeek was one of the first to meet her teammates, vanishing in a sea of burgundy.

Young skaters poured onto the ice after the game, itching for a chance to meet their idols. Some Concordia players clustered together, avoiding interaction. 

Not Verbeek. 

She knelt to talk to fans eye-to-eye, signing jerseys, helmets and sticks. When a young fan offered her hand, Verbeek took her for a spin around the ice. And when the Stingers posed for a picture with a visiting peewee hockey team, there was Verbeek, a smile plastered across her face. In her element.

Team first. In its purest form.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 9, published February 11, 2025.