Kale Tibbetts knew he wanted to play junior hockey next season, but he didn’t have any leads.

Then the Glenwood Springs native started talking to some hockey friends and an opportunity arose with the USPHL’s Minnesota Moose.

“A couple kids I played hockey with growing up and continued to play with all my life (TJ Wonnacott and Cooper Knott) went to the Moose last season and encouraged me to reach out to the Moose to see if I could secure a spot on the team,” Tibbetts said. “When I started taking to the coach, I knew the Moose would be a great fit for me. It’s going to be amazing to leave home and pursue my dream of playing hockey. It’s always exciting to see who I’m going to meet and who I’m going to play with and see who I’ll live with.

“Almost everyone I know who has played in the USPHL has moved on to have successful hockey careers in either college or moving up to Tier II. I’m very excited to see where I will go from here.”

Looking back, Tibbetts said the 2022-23 season “was very complicated for me.”

“I started out the season in New Hampshire with the Jr. Monarchs but as the season progressed, I decided to return to Glenwood to finish out my senior year and play hockey for the high school team,” said Tibbetts. “Through that change, I learned the challenges that came with living away from home and how to deal with them along with how to balance hockey, social life and school.”

The Demons finished as 4A state runners-up, losing 1-0 in triple-overtime to Cheyenne Mountain. Tibbets was named to the 4A Mountain Conference First Team as a defenseman and was also selcted to play for Team Colorado at the America’s Showcase event during the spring in St. Louis.

Tibbetts said he started playing hockey nearly 14 years ago in his hometown.

“Both of my older brothers played hockey, which is how started to gain an interest,” said Tibbetts. “I always remember going to the Avs games with my hockey team and playing in between the periods as Mini Mites. That experience really reinforced my love for hockey and wanting to play it at a higher level.”

Aside from the Demons, Tibbetts also played for the Glenwood Grizzlies, Mountain Wilderness, Mountain Militia, High Altitude Hockey Academy and Colorado Springs Tigers.

“The coach the stood out to me the most was Coach Lada (Ladislav Majkus),” explained Tibbetts. “I played for him with the High Altitude Hockey Academy. He really helped me hone in my skills and become not only the best player, but the the best person I could be.”

Going forward, Tibbetts’ plans are simple.

“Short term, I plan on playing juniors for a couple years and then playing college hockey,” said Tibbetts. “In college, I plan to study economics and become a stock broker.”

Photo/Paul Shepardson

— Matt Mackinder

(June 21, 2023)