Unlike CHSAA-sanctioned school teams that play from Jan. to March and rarely travel far for games, club ice hockey teams spend their fall season on the road. But even without CHSAA backing, they’ve rewritten what it means to play for the love of their sport.
Competing in the Colorado Prep Hockey League (CPHL), the Colorado Bruins Hockey Club is entirely made up of players from Cherry Creek – one of several schools in the district to make a club hockey team so the players can play nearly year round.
This passion shows up long before game day. This program sticks to a steady schedule—and that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
“We’re on ice Monday through Thursday,” Senior attacker Will Rodney (#17) said. “We have lifting twice a week, and then we play games on Friday and Saturday.”
Spending that much time together, in the same locker room, on the same late nights, builds deep connections. This team’s community and commitment run deeper than wins or losses; they take pride in being driven.
“They’re here every day,” head coach Jeff Mielnicki said. “They know the guy next to them is going to be there, and they know what we expect.”
When they’re not practicing, they’re on the road. The Bruins travel all across the country and internationally, in places like Calgary and Boston, some of the biggest hockey powerhouses in the world.
“We want to be traveling back East, where they can get scouted.” Mielnicki said.
The players, despite missing out on lots of high school events, enjoy traveling for these games.
“Hockey in Canada is one of the most competitive things in the world,”senior defenseman Owen Kulczewski (#8) said, “We travel, just to get used to playing teams that are kind of at that higher level and give us some more competitive games.”
Their packed schedule leaves little room for downtime, making the balance between schoolwork and sport difficult.
“You just have to make sure you’re on top of your work, doing it in class as much as you can, and then making the most of your time outside of hockey,” Kulczewski said.
The work doesn’t stop when they leave the rink.
“I work on Sundays, homework is just like working on it wherever you can,” Rodney said. “I’m in NHS, but that’s about it. We don’t have much time for anything else.”
With such a demanding schedule, missing out on typical high school experiences like spirit week, homecoming, and Friday night lights becomes part of the sacrifice. But for these players, the tradeoff is worth it.
“Time with the team is just as valuable as time with your friends,” Rodney said. “These guys are your brothers.”
Despite the long hours and rigorous routine, the program emphasizes academic success.
“If they have an academic commitment, that certainly takes priority, we support that fully,” Mielnicki said. “And I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
Even with all of the discipline, commitment, and camaraderie, recognition from the school doesn’t always follow. The Club is not backed by CHSAA, so the applause, loud student section, and school spirit often pass them by.
“I wish we had a little bit more recognition, even during CHSAA,” junior defenseman Kailer Trebelhorn (#4) said. “No one ever comes.”
That feeling extends to the players, too.
“Our games are usually on Friday and Saturday nights, and we’d love to have more community,” Mielnicki said. “We want our stands full.”
