Category Archives: Youth
Blach, Bryant ‘great ambassadors’ for Rampage program
December 1st, 2015Coaches coach and players play, but who does the rest of the things needed to operate a successful youth hockey organization? For the Colorado Rampage, a USA Hockey Model Association and a member of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, there are many people behind the scenes who have been crucial to the club’s successes…
T-Birds 16U Nationals enter record books, win Bauer World Invite
November 27th, 2015The Colorado Thunderbirds made state hockey history over the weekend of Nov. 6-8 at the Bauer World Hockey Invitational in Chicago. The T-Birds’ 16U AAA National team captured the top division – 16U Supreme – to become the first program from Colorado to win a AAA championship at the 430-team event, which is the largest…
Miners 18U players see valuable time at USHL, NAHL levels
November 25th, 2015A pair of first-year Pikes Peak Miners 18U AAA players recently joined Junior A teams for practices and games and now know what it takes to advance to the next level. Defenseman Preston Weeks (North American Hockey League’s Kenai River Brown Bears) and goaltender Jeremy Swayman (United States Hockey League’s Tri-City Storm), two Alaska natives,…
The Ascent Continues: Thunderbirds’ dozen playing in-state NCAA Division I
November 17th, 2015Many would consider two or three players from a youth hockey program playing NCAA Division I hockey impressive, but what about 12 spread out over three programs in the same state? That gives you a snapshot of what the Colorado Thunderbirds have going on these days. This season, a dozen young men who played at…
Rocky Mountain Challenge attracts talent, scouts
October 23rd, 2015Another year, another successful Rocky Mountain Challenge. The East Coast Elite League (ECEL) event, hosted by the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders organization Oct. 2-4 at the Ice Centre at the Promenade in Westminster, saw a wealth of talent on the ice and numerous junior and college hockey scouts and coaches in the stands to take in…
Pee Wee Quebec Qualifier Tournament on tap for November
October 7th, 2015Mid-November holds an opportunity for young hockey players in the state of Colorado unlike any other. Every year since 2003, the Colorado Avalanche has hosted the Quebec Qualifier Tournament, which is open to all competitive Pee Wee teams in the state of Colorado (excluding non-tournament teams and AAA squads for competitive purposes). And the prize…
Thunderbirds fortify coaching lineup with Combs, Blatchford
October 5th, 2015Colorado hockey has long held an appeal to Nick Combs and Brett Blatchford. Combs grew up playing hockey in Colorado Springs, while Blatchford enjoyed one of the highlights of his career here. Though they traveled different paths before joining the Colorado Thunderbirds AAA coaching staff this season, both bring similar attributes to the program –…
New Miners 16U, 18U coach Cook boasts impressive resume
October 1st, 2015New Pikes Peak Miners coach Cliff Cook knows a thing or two about finding good hockey in non-traditional hockey areas. After all, he grew up learning the game in Dallas, Tex. – in the 1980s. “I was a rarity back in the early ‘80s, as you might imagine,” Cook said. “Not too many people really…
Crew, Carroll add energy, expertise to Rampage coaching lineup
September 29th, 2015Excuse J.J. Crew and Joey Carroll for their enthusiasm, but they work in a sport they love, giving back to young players, in their second home. The Colorado Rampage’s two newest coaches realize they wouldn’t have had the opportunities they have without many other coaches giving back to them over the years. “I love the…
RoughRiders amped to host Rocky Mountain Challenge
September 24th, 2015Once again this fall, elite youth teams from across the United States and Canada will venture back to Denver to try their hand once more in the Rocky Mountain Challenge. An East Coast Elite League (ECEL) showcase, the tournament is hosted by the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders – a charter member of the ECEL that strives…