More promise in store for Jr. Pioneers I
By Matt Mackinder
cing 13 teams this season, along with nine in its budding 8U program, there’s no question the
University of Denver Jr. Pioneers youth organiza- tion is on the upswing. Hatched by a group of parents that wanted to
run a hockey association in the facility owned and operated by the University of Denver - the Daniel Ritchie Center, which houses DU’s Magness Arena - the school took over operations of the club 10 years ago and the outfit has grown both in num- bers and stature over that time. It didn’t hurt, either, when another local as-
sociation lost its lease at its facility in the spring of 2010. As a result, many of its players migrated to the Jr. Pioneers program. “That gave a large boost to our overall number
and competitiveness,” said Jr. Pioneers manager Jamie Herrington. Last season, the Jr. Pioneers captured four
Colorado Competitive Youth Hockey League cham- pionships, two state titles and finished third at the Tier II 12U national tournament. This year, its Pee Wee AA team qualified to rep-
resent the state at next month’s highly regarded Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament. Needless to say, Herrington is proud of the
organization’s on-ice accomplishments and hopes it’s just the beginning. “There’s still a lot of promise moving forward
because there are a lot of very talented players in the program who are working very diligently to improve their skills,” he said.
From left, Brice Novosel, JP Perez, Jake Adkins, Dustyn Loescher and Blaze Hubbard and the rest of the Jr. Pioneers’ Pee Wee AA team will compete in next month’s prestigious
Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament. Photo/Michael Martin Photography
Herrington noted the association is also work-
ing to bolster its learn-to-skate and 8U offerings in an effort to increase the skill levels of young skaters. “That’s a big part of our program’s growth,” he
said. “We’ve gone from around 40 players at the 8U level in 2009-10 to approximately 120 players this season.” “We work hard to bring in qualified coaches
who can provide the right type of learning environ- ment for youth players, along with offering quality amounts of ice time for each team according to age and level, all while playing out of a premier NCAA facility. “The combination of those things is hopefully making our program an attractive option for youth
hockey families who have the freedom to choose which association to play for year after year.” The coaches are the backbone of the Jr. Pio-
neers, says Herrington. The program boasts more than a dozen who’ve played at the NCAA level, including a bunch who’ve spent a substantial amount of time playing professional hockey. “We believe in bringing in experienced coaches
with a zest and passion for the game who are capable of educating our players on the important details of skill development and game strategy while providing leadership and teaching the values of work ethic, teamwork and sportsmanship,” ex- plained Herrington. With continued growth in the horizon, Her-
rington feels the Jr. Pioneers are a microcosm for enhanced interest in the game throughout Colo- rado. “The reality is that many of the families getting
involved at the learn-to-skate and 8U levels are ones in which their young players are the first to play hockey,” Herrington said. “They require an intensive amount of education to begin to com- prehend the general landscape of the sport and decipher the cornerstone values for investing their time, energy and money. “With some effective marketing put in place, all
the programs - and the sport in general - should continue to make impressive gains over the course of the next decade and establish Colorado as a recognizable state in the hockey world. “The foundation is in place for great things
here, but there’s still a lot of heavy lifting to be done to achieve its potential.”
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