Nearly three years ago, Okanagan Hockey Colorado joined the ranks of high-end, high-quality youth hockey in the state.

More than hockey, OHC has a model seen in Canada and Europe that provides hockey and academics all in one setting.

“We noticed that there was a trend of Colorado youth hockey players leaving the state to attend prep schools, most of which were on the East Coast,” said Okanagan Hockey Colorado managing director Brooke Wilfley, a co-founder of the program along with former NHL player David Clarkson. “We figured this was, in part, due to the desire to have a better quality of life and an emphasis on academics. However, in order to attend these prep schools, kids were leaving home as young as 13 years old, and the cost was typically quite high. In an effort to find a solution to keep local Colorado kids home, provide families with a culture-first program and provide a traditional education, we began to explore hockey programs throughout the United States and Canada.

“We were quickly drawn to the model that Okanagan was implementing, not just in Canada, but in Europe as well. This model was an elite hockey program that partners with a local public school, providing a prep-like model, but at a fraction of the cost. The student-athletes complete school at 1:30 p.m., are transported to the rink where they practice from 2:30-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with training completed, for most of our teams, everyday at 5 p.m. With this model, student-athletes have access to a traditional education, are able to have family dinners, complete homework, and have a consistent routine.”

In August of 2022, OHC began with just one team, a 14U team, and a roster of 17. In 2023-24, 13O and 15O teams were added and this past season, 16U and 18U teams joined the mix.

Overall, the program has made an impact in the state in a relatively short amount of time.

“We believe that we have done our best to help support positive opportunity for Colorado youth hockey players,” said Wilfley. “In the past three seasons, we have had four teams advance to districts and two teams advance to nationals. We have 23 players drafted or listed in the WHL, and of those 23, 19 of them are Colorado players. Additionally, we have had 12 players drafted in the USHL, 11 of whom are Colorado players. Lastly, we have several players currently playing or tendered in the NAHL, all of whom are Colorado players. At state camp this season, we had 40 Colorado players advance to district camp from our program. We have had nine players advance from districts to national camp, eight of whom were Colorado players. We also have had two NCAA Division I commits.

“More importantly, over 85% of our youth athletes made honor roll this past season.”

Keeping players in Colorado is a source of pride for OHC, too.

“The majority of our players are from Colorado, and this is something that we are proud of and that is important to us,” Wilfley said. “We have had increasing outside interest from players throughout the U.S., as well as Canada and other countries. The feedback we have received from families looking to join our program from other locations is that they are impressed with the culture, quality of coaching, and that there is a traditional education component.”

Regarding college commitments, junior hockey drafts and team success, Wilfley noted how that reflects on coaching and organization leadership.

“Our goal to develop a culture-first program, we believe, is achieved based on the passion and commitment of the OHC coaching staff,” said Wilfley. “David Clarkson wanted to find ways to give back to the game that gave so much to him. He was led by this desire to give back and for his passion to help kids. After playing 12 years in the NHL, coaching gave Clarkson a connection to the game that he had lost when he stopped playing. He came to find out that he wasn’t alone. There were several players that had played in the NHL, AHL, NCAA, etcetera, that missed the game and the connection they had with teammates, who shared their love of the game. Clarkson has created an amazing environment where our staff of ex-players can work together, collaborate and build something special. This talented coaching staff leads through a desire to do something good for kids, and to give back to the game of hockey.

“We believe this selfless passion and commitment, combined with the immense knowledge and talent of having a staff that has played the game at the highest level, is what has contributed to the success of our players and culture.”

Moving forward, the overall vision of Okanagan Hockey Colorado is “to provide pathways and opportunities, founded in the philosophy of whole child development, for youth hockey athletes in Colorado.”

“We want to partner with families to help support the development of good people, support traditional education, and help student-athletes pursue their goals in hockey,” said Wilfley. “We want to encourage our student-athletes to use their talent and passion in hockey to leverage their academic opportunities. After three years of growth, we are looking forward to focusing on the five teams that we have and striving to get better each year for our OHC families. We are also looking for ways to further help our families through partnerships and collaborations and to provide our student-athletes with the highest level of care and development.”

Photos/Okanagan Hockey Colorado

— Matt Mackinder

(May 16, 2025)