George Gwozdecky was asked to reflect on the growth of Valor Christian hockey.
The coach responded with a bemused smile and an anecdote from the 2015-16 season, his first at the school.
“I was so naïve, I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” Gwozdecky said. “I remember my wife asking me after that first week of practice, ‘Is this something you really want to do?’ Because I would explain to her some of the experiences that were happening at practice.
“There were things that I had never experienced before. One player wanted to try out to be a defenseman and he couldn’t skate backwards. I had to explain to him that one of the skills that you have to have as a defenseman is the ability to skate backwards.”
Gwozdecky paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and then continued.
“From that point to where we are right now — we can all skate backwards, by the way — we have been able to become more competitive every year. I have been proud of what these guys have built and what each senior class has left behind. It’s been a really good experience. To see the interest from our student body and interest from our faculty and staff had been gratifying.”
Last year, the Eagles won their third Class 5A hockey state title in four years, beating rival Ralston Valley, 7-3, at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus. The Eagles are flying high as high school hockey’s popularity soars.
This season, CHSAA added Caprock Academy in Grand Junction to its roster of high school hockey programs. With the addition of teams at Grandview and Durango in 2022, there are now 36 CHSAA member hockey schools divided between 5A and 4A.
Gwozdecky, who led DU to two national championships in his 19 years with the Pioneers, knew that Colorado had a strong youth and club hockey culture, but he wanted to see the sport continue to grow under the auspice of the Colorado High School Activities Association. And he wanted his Valor players to experience the rewards that come from representing their high school.
“From the reports I received when I first got (to Valor), no one liked hockey,” he said. “The hockey players were not respected athletes. Now it’s been reversed.”
Despite its tough loss to Valor in last year’s state championship, Ralston Valley has a rich hockey history. Over the past 17 seasons, the Mustangs made it to the Frozen Four 11 times, appeared in six state finals, and were crowned champions in 2013 and ’14.
Coach Nick Spinder has seen high school hockey become cool.
“You have more guys playing in the CHSAA-sanctioned high school hockey that makes it a little bit better each year,” Spinder said. “Kids want to play for their schools. CHSAA hockey is not a background (sport) anymore, it’s not a second thought. It’s become more like up in Minnesota. I think each year it gets better, and each year we build our program and it’s better for hockey in general.”
In 2022, Denver East showed just how good Colorado prep hockey had become. After beating Valor in the state title game, the Angels won the USA Hockey high school national championship, beating the Northport (New York) Huntington Tigers in the Division II title game. East went undefeated in the Texas-based tournament against the country’s top combined high school teams.
“We were representing Colorado and DPS,” Joseph Capra, an East junior defenseman who was named the 5A player of the year by CHSAA, said at the time. “The state is crazy overlooked. I think we’re a Tier I hockey state. We can compete with anyone.”
This season’s 5A hockey season promises fireworks. As the Christmas break neared, Monarch (5-2) was ranked No. 1, in part because of a 3-2 victory over Valor in an early-season game. The Poudre School District team (5-2) was No. 2, followed by Cherry Creek (4-1-1), Regis Jesuit (2-1-1) and Valor (2-1-1).
The Eagles, who fell 3-2 to Monarch on Dec. 16, have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to repeat as state champions. Valor lost 12 seniors to graduation from last year’s team. The team’s strengths, according to Gwozdecky, are senior goaltenders Cooper Robinson and Trudeaux Coffey.
“We’re going to be strong in the defensive zone,” junior center Andrew Jenkins said. “Cooper is so solid in goal, and Trudeaux has improved a lot. Overall, our team is very passionate and very tight. I think that’s going to help us keep that winning culture at Valor.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
