Colorado Rubber

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USPHL’s Predators next stop for Littleton native, Colorado youth hockey alum Stern in ’22-23

 

Bryson Stern played four years of AAA hockey and has utilized those experiences and development platforms to take his game to junior hockey.

Next season, the Littleton product will be between the pipes for the USPHL’s Provo Predators after playing the 2021-22 season for the Colorado Springs Tigers.

“The opportunity arose in Provo through head coach Nick Dreyer reaching out to my (Tigers) head coach Kevin Holmstrom about goaltending,” Stern said. “With the new name and owner, the Predators are not holding any camps this offseason, instead only bringing in the players they want for the new start. What stood out to me about the Predators were the opportunities they have to offer as team and as a player.

“There are endless possibilities for me here in Provo with establishing a program in a great town and then making the jump to the NCDC the following year. Knowing that the USPHL has a long list of college commitments that is ever growing is definitely an appealing factor about the league. With the jump to the NCDC next year, I should be able to showcase my game in front of a host of NCAA Division I schools.”

Stern noted that this past season was “a new and interesting challenge that helped me improve my game and grow as a person.”

“Colorado Springs was a great, fresh start after a long COVID season playing in Boston,” said Stern. “Under Coach Holmstrom, I learned to improve many different aspects of my game in practice and against high-end AAA talent. Colorado Springs was a great place to play and helped me prepare for juniors in a lot of ways. Playing in the NAPHL was a good experience and helped me face future Division I and potentially NHL opponents. The culture and atmosphere in the Springs helped me better myself to be able to play my best in those games.”

Growing up, Stern started out with the Foothills Flyers before going out east to New Hampshire to play for the Northern Cyclones’ 15U AAA team.

“The success I had out east helped me get on coach Greg Vanover’s radar for the 16U AAA Rocky Mountain Roughriders, where I got much better and won a state championship,” Stern said. “Sadly, our season got cut short and with a lot of unknowns I decided to go back out east and played for Boston Hockey Academy during their inaugural season. Coach Holmstrom then reached out to me about the Tigers and convinced me to stay back in Colorado for my last AAA year of eligibility.”

Looking down the road, Stern said all his goals start in the short term.

“I want to start off my junior career with a bang and set myself up for any long-term goals I may have,” said Stern. “It’s really important I start off well this year and continue on through to the end of next season.”

Photo/Steve Robinson

— Matt Mackinder

(August 18, 2022)

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