Jr. Eagles flying high in Northern Colorado A
By Adam Dunivan
aron Grosul andMorgan Cey didn’t see a whole lot of ice time together when they were
both members of the Colorado Eagles during the team’s 2008-09 Central Hockey League playoff run, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t get to know each other quite well over that time. The working relationship that developed then
is what’s benefiting Northern Colorado Youth Hockey (NCYH) now, as the organization enters its 25th year in 2011-12. With Grosul having a strong background in
youth hockey leadership and Cey having an equal- ly strong passion for it, NCYH (now known as the Jr. Eagles) is standing on firm ground with boys and girls teams competing at a variety of levels. Grosul, in his fourth year as the hockey di-
rector for the Jr. Eagles, is elated about a lot of things that are happening within the walls of the NoCo Ice Arena in Windsor, the program’s build- ing considered home. He’s particularly fond of the base of young
players that are continuing to find their way to- wards one of the greatest sports on Earth. “We’re seeing some pretty good numbers at the
younger levels,” said Grosul. “If you look at any program, if your bottom numbers are looking good and growing, that’s what you want because you need to have a solid base.” Indeed, Grosul has been an advocate of hon-
ing skills at the youngest age, favoring the model of station work over game play for those younger kids ever since he was named director in 2008.
That was before USA Hockey’s American Devel- opment Model (ADM) was introduced, though Grosul doesn’t consider himself an innovator of any sort. “I don’t want to sound like I was ahead of the
curve, because by no means was I, but with our 8Us we did do a lot of station drills in our prac- tices,” he said, adding that, at the time, he simply wanted to get the most out of the ice time each session. “When the ADM came out, it was an easy transition for practices.” Parents were skeptical at
first, Grosul said, but now it’s the norm for when adults first register their kids. “Hockey’s really the only
sport that you saw kids play- ing on a regulation-sized rink with regulation-sized pucks,” he added. “It was about time, and the right thing that USA Hockey did. You’re seeing kids get a lot more touches and develop a lot more skills.” Cey concurred, acknowledging
from 2001-05. “We’re doing a pretty good job at the 8U level as far as using the ADM.” In this the 25th anniversary of NCYH, around
22 teams will compete between the recreational teams in the Denver North Hockey League, Colo- rado Competitive Youth Hockey League and Mountain States Girls Hockey League. The Jr. Eagles also continue
to benefit from the ties to the big-boy Eagles, the successful minor league team in town that moved to the ECHL season. Grosul said former Eagles players Brad Williamson, Scott Swanson, Phil Crowe and Jon Marsh have taken on coaching roles, and the team also helps with exposure and fundraising. Several times throughout
that the younger the players get the right skill work in, the better they’re going to be and the more fun they’re going to have. “It starts at that level, working with them and
Aaron Grosul, director of Northern Colo- rado Youth Hockey, is encouraged with the Jr. Eagles’ participation numbers in the younger age groups.
the season, the Eagles host the youngest kids (Mini-Mites) for quick games on the ice of the Budweiser Events Center - home of the Eagles - and, at almost every game, NCYHers are selling Chuck-a-Pucks to raise money.
But Grosul was quick to mention there are
hopefully retaining them throughout the years,” said Cey, a goalie at the University of Notre Dame
many dedicated parents, too. Specifically, he’s grateful for longtime helpers Scott Johnson and Brad Thompson for frequently going beyond the call of duty.
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