Houston Gilcrease played all over Colorado during his youth hockey career, developing his game every step of the way.

This season, the Golden native is playing his rookie season of junior hockey, lacing up the skates for the EHL’s Connecticut RoughRiders.

“The opportunity came after Grand Junction River Hawks main camp, where head coach Dustin Timm referred me here as he knew them when he worked with Cedar Rapids in the USHL,” Gilcrease said. “I heard many good things about this team and their ladder of development. Everyone I asked that knew about this organization said nothing but good things about this team and their coaching staff. The EHL was appealing because of the amount of NCAA Division III commits they get.

“I’m really looking forward to focusing on developing and working on all aspects of my game to get to the next level. I expect to adjust to junior hockey the way I have adjusted to everything else — elevate my game and bring what is needed. I need to change my game to where I can succeed at this level and prove I can survive at this level. If that happens, then I will be able to be an impact player for this team.”

Growing up, Gilcrease took a liking to hockey on the nudging of his father.

“My dad is the reason I started playing hockey,” said Gilcrease. “He found hockey later in his life and fell in love with it. He didn’t know hockey as a kid as he grew up in Texas, and there was no such thing as ice in Texas. All he knew was football, as the highest level he played was Division I NCAA for Oklahoma State, but he loved hockey so much that he wanted me to play and pushed me to be a hockey player. Being around the Avalanche definitely helped as well.”

Once Gilcrease found his passion for the game, he began his career with the Foothills Flyers for Mites and Squirt B. After that, he moved to the Arvada Hockey Association, where he played Squirt A through Bantam AA. Gilcrease then joined the Littleton Hawks for 15U AA and 16U AA, winning a national championship at 16U. He wrapped up his youth hockey days playing two years of 18U AAA with the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders.

“Some coaches that stand out to me and that have been a positive influence on me as a person and as a hockey player are Cole Fletcher, Doug Smail and John McKibbon,” said Gilcrease. “Last season was a blast. I felt like getting first-line minutes really helped me play and be more confident within my game. All of the boys on the team were super close, and it was just a fun team to be a part of. It prepared me for junior hockey because it helped me realize that if I wanted to keep playing hockey, I needed to fix certain things in my game and step up in certain roles, on and off the ice.”

Looking ahead, Gilcrease has aspirations to keep ascending the hockey ladder.

“Some of my hockey goals are to play in the NAHL or NCDC and hopefully end up playing NCAA Division I or Division III,” Gilcrease said. “Some of my life goals are to stay in the gym, keep being me, and be successful with whatever I do.”

Photo provided by Houston Gilcrease

— Matt Mackinder

(December 8, 2025)