Brogan Andrus spent time with several youth hockey organizations growing up in Colorado, but once he made the leap to junior hockey, found his home in Massachusetts with the EHL’s Bridgewater Bandits.

The Denver native is now in his second and final season with the Bandits and has an eye on moving on to college hockey next fall.

“I was playing for Team Colorado in America’s Showcase and a former coach of the Bandits reached out to me,” said Andrus. “He watched my game while I was there. Eventually, we had some talks and I ended up signing. I really enjoyed my first season playing in Bridgewater. I got my fair share of opportunities, the guys were great, and the hockey was a step above anything I had played before. I knew I could elevate my game by my next season and I really wanted to be a leader at the junior level. So I came back for a second season.

“I had always had my mind set on the EHL. It’s high-caliber hockey and it produces NCAA D-III players better than any other league does. I knew that I was going to take my opportunity to play in the league when I got the chance. That led me to choosing the Bandits. Because they were going to be a new EHL team, I figured that it was my best opportunity to showcase myself and develop at the next level.”

Andrus is also loving the hockey landscape out east.

“It’s a really different environment out here,” Andrus said. “The game is faster, it’s more physical, and you have to think the game better. During my small stint in the USPHL out west, game times were late, there were many fans, and I had grown up with that western culture. Plus, you only play so many teams during the season. Playing out east, I had to adjust to earlier game times and being part of a new culture. We also got to play a variety of teams and every game was a battle. There definitely wasn’t any easy ones we had. You also don’t have many fans, so you don’t nearly get as big of an advantage playing at home. It just makes everything more competitive.”

Growing up, Andrus said he actually didn’t have a say in which sport he got to play when he was younger.

“My parents chose hockey because they weren’t huge fans of outdoor sports,” Andrus said. “I still remember my first time skating. I was sitting on a trash can at the University of Denver’s arena and my dad was tying up my skates. I was sent out onto the ice and from then on, we never looked back. I never really found a home in youth hockey. I bounced around from team to team until high school when I played for Colorado Academy. I had plenty of great coaches, though — Matt Frick, Sergei Bautin, Ivan Benevelsky, and my high school coaches Richie Nelson and Christian Brown. I also owe a big thanks to Dave Labbett for turning me into a great skater when I was young.”

Moving forward, Andrus has goals and aspirations set, both on and of the ice.

“Short term, I want to play at the NCAA level,” said Andrus. “I want to keep rising up the ranks of competitive hockey and develop my game while also having the opportunity to attend school. However, I know hockey won’t be around forever, so my long-term goals are to become an investment banker and eventually work in private equity. Of course, I also want to keep hockey around and play some beer league.”

Photo/Dan Hickling/Hickling Images

— Matt Mackinder

(March 22, 2025)