Colorado has become a powerhouse state for ice hockey in the last decade. The Colorado Avalanche won the NHL Stanley Cup in 2022, the University of Denver men’s team won the NCAA Frozen Four the same year and in 2017; now, at the high school level, recent seasons have also been great ones.
Colorado’s three best high school hockey teams in the state are Valor Christian, Regis Jesuit, and Cherry Creek. And beyond the state level, these teams are ranked in some of the top teams nationally; coming in at 20th, 1st, and 84th respectively.
“We have a talent rich team, heavy with seniors. They’re battle tested,” Creek Head Coach Jeff Mielnicki said. “We’ve had so many games where we’ve won in the last period, held on to a one goal lead, or gotten a shutout.”
After multiple seasons of ranking below the fifties, these placements have served as a major marker for Creek’s success. While Valor has remained dominant, consistently ranking in the top twenty for the last four years, Creek’s and Regis’ success has waivered, due to many losses to rivals like Denver East, Monarch, and Chaparral.
“I feel that this Regis team is special because of the diverse amounts of upperclassmen and lowerclassmen,” Regis sophomore goalie Marc Brousseau said.
For Creek players, sportsmanship and strong team bonds have also played a large part in their success over the season. Despite playing tougher games against schools like Regis, the team believes they can still band together and move towards the playoff season.
“All the boys [have] a lot of passion for the sport and we really work together well as a team,” Creek senior center and left winger Eric Burggraf said. “So I think just the teamwork and the bond we have really creates a good environment on the ice.”
The three schools peaked in the final weeks of January: Creek was 10th, Regis was 5th, and Valor was 1st in national rankings. Regis took both of them down with adjacent victories, with Creek suffering a crushing 7-1 defeat on Feb. 2, and Valor falling 3-1 the next day. “I think everybody had a bad game, you just have to reflect on it,” Creek senior goalie Jack Ryan said after the loss.
The three schools all made it to CHSAA’s semifinal. Creek and Monarch lost to Valor and Regis respectively on March 2, and Regis defeated Valor 3-1 to take the state championship on March 5. Regis’ rankings shot up to 1st after winning the championship, while Valor and Creek dropped in the standings because Regis defeated them both in their playoff run.
Players like Burggraf, senior center and left winger Dominic Suchkov, and senior center and right winger Daniil Korobeynikov have driven success on offense. All three rank in the 20s of Colorado’s top point-scorers, and in the top 150 nationally. Burggraf ranks 17th in assists. Korobeynikov and Suchkov rank 16th and 18th respectively in goals nationally.
“We really have a deep bench of players,” Mielnicki said. “I feel comfortable putting anybody on the ice.”
As for goaltending, all three schools have talent. Valor senior Trudeaux Coffey and Regis’ Brousseau are 4th and 5th respectively in the national ranks for goals against average (GAA). Creek’s Ryan is 29th.
“I feel that this season has been special for me personally because I have been able to emerge myself in a winning culture at the varsity level,” Brousseau said. “Having the greatest teammates a sophomore could ask for has really made this season something to remember.”
