Fiegl’s Stock on the Rise with Rampage The gifted forward will play for the NTDP before heading to DU


By Pat Rooney J


ared Fiegl is a coach’s dream. He’s skilled, tough and blessed with an enviable combination


of a strong work ethic mixed with the sort of matu- rity any parent would love. Yet it’s for all these


same impressive factors that, every once in a while, cause plenty of headaches for Fiegl’s coach, Andrew Sherman. These pangs Sherman


often battles are in no way Fiegl’s fault; quite the contrary. As the head coach of the 16U AAA squad with the Colorado Springs-based Colorado Rampage, Sherman often has to remind himself that Fiegl is only 15-year-old and needs to be reined in accordingly. Sherman’s zeal to push the 1996-born forward


“His character, commitment, leadership and


maturity are pretty unique. I guess you could use the word special,” Sherman said. “Everything has really lined up for him. “This didn’t start happening for him just last year. He’s had a great attitude from Day 1. His enthusiasm is contagious, even for a coach. He’s so positive, so enthusiastic that he can even turn around a coach’s mood on a bad day. “He acts so mature, but


Denver recruit Jared Fiegl, right, pictured with his brothers, Luke, left, and Josh, is looking forward to a strong season with the Colorado Rampage’s 16U team as he prepares to skate for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.


is easily understandable. A unique talent who is mature well beyond his years, Fiegl already has made a verbal commitment to the University of Denver and will join the prestigious U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) in Ann Arbor, Mich., next year.


you have to remember he’s only 15 for his well-being. Sometimes he gets treated like he’s older because he acts so much older, on and off the ice.” A native of Parker and


a student at Ponderosa High School, Fiegl hails from a hockey family. His


older brother, Luke, is in his first season with the Michigan Warriors of the North American Hockey League (see more on Luke on Page 14) and his younger brother, Josh, is an up-and-coming talent in the Rampage program. One additional perk of Fiegl’s selection to the NTDP is that he’ll be less than an hour from his


older brother, providing Luke doesn’t latch on with a United States Hockey League team by then. “We’ll only be about 50 minutes from each other


(in Michigan),” Fiegl said. “The (NTDP) is a huge opportunity. To me, it’s almost surreal. It’s the sort of thing where you can’t believe it when it happens. I couldn’t believe it. It definitely took a while for it to set in.” Fiegl describes himself as a solid, hard-hitting


all-around player who is still trying to master some of the finer nuances of stickhandling. That’ll be Fiegl’s focus this season during his final year with the Rampage before he packs his bags for Ann Arbor. “With my stickhandling, I need to learn to keep


my head up better,” Fiegl said. “I want to be able to scan the ice better so I can make better decisions with the puck.” Following his sojourn to Ann Arbor with the


NTDP, Fiegl will complete a lifelong dream when he joins head coachGeorge Gwozdecky’s vaunted program at Denver. Fiegl was just a young kid when the Pioneers


captured back-to-back NCAA national champion- ships in 2004 and 2005, and he’s bled the school’s crimson and gold colors ever since. “Growing up, I always dreamed about playing


for DU,” Fiegl said. “The games have a great envi- ronment and it’s going to be amazing to be a part of something like that. It’s a great opportunity and overall a huge honor for me.”


Avalanche Goes Extra Mile for Youth Development The state’s NHL entry is doing its part to help build the game at all levels, locally


By Matt Mackinder T


wo Stanley Cup championships in five years can bring a hockey community together - and


that’s happened in the Denver area with the Colo- rado Avalanche winning titles in 1996 and 2001. The Avalanche has gone even further to promote


the game by getting involved in the community through their sponsorship of youth hockey in Den- ver. “Since the Avalanche arrived in Colorado in


1995, the team has made a commitment to be an integral part of our community,” said Avalanche vice president of community relations and fan de- velopmentDeb Dowling Canino. “Our foundation has granted over $13 million


to area non-profits which provide programs and services for underserved children and families and, each season, our coaches and players donate thou- sands of hours visiting schools, community centers and hospitals.” The Avalanche community relations and fan de-


velopment department, with support from hockey operations, coordinate the efforts. Dowling also said that while the state of Colo-


rado may not get as much notice for its youth hockey as areas like Minnesota, Detroit or Boston, that’s not to say high-level hockey does exist in the Centennial State. “It’s amazing the number of rinks that have


been built and number of teams that have been created since the team moved to Colorado (from Quebec, formerly the Nordiques),” Dowling said. “Colorado is truly a hockey community which rivals


many of the longstanding states.” The Avalanche organization goes above and


beyond to promote hockey in the state, and Dowling added that the support from outside the organiza- tion has been tremendous. “Our greatest supporters have, of course, been


the hockey fans and play- ers of all ages in the Rocky Mountain region,” beamed Dowling. “Since our arrival, the team has made a concert- ed effort to grow the sport of hockey for people of all ages and abilities, and we’re able to do this through our year-round fan development programs.” Promotional initiatives


include the Avalanche Cares Web site, Street Avs, player clinics, the Break the Ice learn-to-skate program, as well as initiatives for the physically disabled, includ- ing Colorado Sled Hockey and the National Sports Center for the Disabled Ability Camp. In addition, three years ago, the Avalanche


most needed by the organization: scholarships, travel - things like that,” noted Dowling. On a broader note, it’s been documented that


more and more high-end players are coming out of Colorado to play junior hockey, college hockey and professional hockey.


“This (player advance-


ment) would not be hap- pening without strong youth systems in place,” said Dowling. “Our com- mitment includes the spon- sorship of the Colorado Avalanche AAA Pee Wee hockey team at the presti- gious Quebec International Pee Wee Hockey Tourna- ment. We’re also proud sponsors of the High School Hobey Baker Awards.” For two weeks each


The Avalanche’s Paul Stastny was happy to lend a hand at a Boulder Bison practice earlier this year before the team headed off to the prestigious Quebec Internation- al Pee Wee Hockey Tournament. Photo/Colorado Avalanche


February, 110 hockey teams from 14 countries meet in Quebec City to experience Pee Wee hockey at its best. The Avalanche


started the Full Strength Game Magazine fund- raising program. At each Avalanche home game, a different youth hockey team sells game programs and keeps 100 percent of the proceeds. “In three years, we’ve returned more than $150,000 to youth teams for their use of what’s


representative is chosen via the Quebec qualifier tournament held each fall at Pepsi Center. “Just this year, one of our Pee Wee team mem-


bers from six years ago, Josiah Didier, was draft- ed by the Montreal Canadians and will be skating for the University of Denver,” said Dowling. “This is just an example that homegrown hockey talent is available in Colorado.”


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