Path to Promise T


he Pikes Peak Miners have proven to be a polar opposite of the economy. The Colorado


Springs-based youth hockey program is pros- pering and flourishing - particularly over the past five or six years. Yes, the Miners have become a gi-


ant commodity in a state in which ice rinks seemingly are popping up with the frequency of roadside construc- tion signs, an upper-echelon youth outlet with an ever-increasing A-list of former players. It’s impossible to think of Colorado Springs hockey and not think of the program. But it wasn’t always that way. Originally unearthed in 1991 as


a Junior A club, the program now boasts five teams and a laundry list of alumni as impressive as anywhere in the western U.S., a list that includes Los Angeles Kings center Trevor Lewis. Oftentimes, the mark of a solid


program is when it starts to run itself in some capacities, and that’s happen- ing in Colorado Springs. “We’re starting to see it come full


circle with guys coming back and helping the club out,” said Shaun Hathaway, a longtime coach in the program. “Last year at our Pikes Peak Miners golf tournament, we had 10 guys who we coached in 2003-04 come back, and that included pro guys like Trevor Lewis. It was re- ally neat to see that those guys have remained close.” The Miners’ original Junior A


team in 1991 was a member of the America West Hockey League. When the league disbanded, the Miners transformed into an 18U team. Then, for more than a decade, the organi- zation remained as one team and a member of the Colorado Springs Ama- teur Hockey Association. Then six seasons ago, the program


expanded - and soon exploded. First was the addition of the 16U AAA team in 2005. Three seasons ago a 14U AA team was added. “Then this season we took over the whole


Based out of Colorado Springs, the Miners program is doing an outstanding job of expos- ing and advancing its student-athletes the junior and collegiate ranks. Photo/Andre Sodbinow


completely.” And why not? The Miners alumni list speaks


thing with AA at all the levels in Colorado Springs,” program director Lucas Trombetta said. Trombetta, 37, a former hockey Junior A


player, is head coach of the immensely success- ful 16U AAA team but helps with all five teams. He joined the program eight seasons ago as an assistant for the 18U AAA then took over the 16U AAA when it was unveiled. The success of that team has been a buoy for


the program to expand. In the past five seasons, the squad was state runner-up three times and captured the North American Prospects Hockey League (PHL) championship the past two sea-


6 magazine


for itself. There is Lewis, who was drafted in the first


round (17th overall) by the Kings in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Lewis, who Trombetta labels “a phenomenal person and a heck of a hockey player,” was initially called up to Kings in 2008- 09 and was regular member in 2010-11, playing in 72 games. Then there is forward Pat Knowlton, who


spent four seasons of Division I at Connecticut’s Sacred Heart University and played last sea- son for Gwinnett (Ga.) Gladiators of the ECHL before joining the league-rival Colorado Eagles this season.


sons (the first two in which the highly-scouted Tier I AAA Midget and Bantam circuit existed). “When the 16U team had that success, we


went to the board at the Colorado Springs Ama- teur Hockey and asked, ‘Why don’t you guys let us take over all of the AA, too?’” Trombetta said. “And they were on board with it


The Miners are forging an impressive track record of successful player development By Paul Willis


Former Miners defenseman Jeff Dimmen


played at Maine and now is in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s system. Scott McConnell spent for years at the University of Denver and was part of the Pioneers’ 2004 NCAA championship squad. He is the current coach of the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League (USHL) Center Nick Dineen is the cap-


tain at Colorado College (also based in Colorado Springs) and Ian Young is a freshman defenseman for the Tigers. In addition, defenseman John Ryder and forward Matt Tabrum play at DU. Forward Josh Myers is at Mas- sachusetts’ Merrimack College. You’re beginning to get the picture. “I think the kids really respect the


process and understand the oppor- tunity they have from this organiza- tion,” Hathaway said. “For the young kids in town, the reality is, ‘Look, these kids have made it, and so can you.’ That’s really what empowers the youngsters.” Witnessing the success of the


program in such a tangible form has allowed the players to think big, but also realistically. While many aspire to one day play for the Colorado Ava- lanche or another NHL squad, Trom- betta and his cast of coaches keep players focusing one level at a time. Skating on the ice at Madison Square Garden isn’t a plausible early-life goal, but landing at the University of Denver or Colorado College is. “The vast majority of our players


are solely focused on college hockey,” Trombetta said. “That’s where they want to be, that’s what they want to do. CC obviously has a huge impact on our community. It’s the big ticket in town, and that’s basically where we try to send our kids, to college hockey.” When players such as Lewis and


Dimmen come back and help out for a day, the current Miners squads understand the unique opportunity of the program. “They’re overwhelmed,” Hathaway


said. “It’s one thing to hear it from the coaches year in and year out, but to have these guys come back puts them in awe, because these are guys who were Division I players with pro con- tracts now. And they’re enormous men.” The Miners have built it, but they’re not


content. They want to expand and become the benchmark for Colorado youth hockey. While Trombetta is immensely focused on the cur- rent season, he is deftly keeping one eye on the future. “This is the first time in three seasons we


haven’t had 14U AAA, so the future will be bringing that back and hopefully 12U AAA as well,” Trombetta said. “It won’t be next year, but hopefully the following year.”


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