Brick Fisher said Canadian hockey has always appealed to him with its history and style.

Now, the Denver native will get to experience that firsthand after recently signing with the SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds.

“This opportunity arose from my family advisor Patrick Bedell,” said Fisher. “Patrick has played a huge role in my hockey journey and has relationships with a lot of great junior teams, one of them being with Brett Pilkington of Notre Dame. Brett and I connected and we were able to talk about my game and my goals in this sport. 

“I feel like the Canadian leagues are a great opportunity for me to achieve my hockey goals. Two years ago when I was 16, I took a step to leave for East Coast hockey, which made me comfortable to leave home this time.”

This past year, Fisher came back to Colorado to play for the Colorado Thunderbirds’ 18U AAA team, a season he said was “a really good year of growth, on and off the ice.”

Growing up, hockey was a new experience in the Fisher household.

“My dad was a college football player, so hockey was not a part of my family’s life,” said Fisher. “I started playing football but realized that hockey was my sport. I then started playing at six years old for the Jr. Pioneers program. Growing up in Denver and going to my first Avs game when I was four also had a big impact on why I started playing. I had a very special group at the Jr. Pioneers until my second year of Pee Wees. I then went and played for Dave Fromm at the Thunderbirds when I was 13. He unfortunately passed away but was a huge influence in my hockey career. This past year, I went back to the Thunderbirds and played for Phil Patenaude, who had a huge impact on my game and on me personally.

“The main thing I will remember most about playing in Colorado is the lifelong friends I have made and the important life lessons I have learned. I’ve spent many hours training and playing with great people around here and I’ll always cherish that.”

Looking forward, Fisher has high ambitions he hopes to attain.

“In hockey, I want to play at the highest level of juniors and hopefully get the attention of NCAA Division I teams,” Fisher said. “I feel ready for any academics opportunity thanks to TPH Denver that I spent a lot of time at and just recently graduated from.”

Photo provided by Brick Fisher

— Matt Mackinder

(September 7, 2024)