Former Canadian Pro Player to Coach Colorado Academy Ice Hockey
Colorado Academy Director of Athletics Bill Hall announced today that Canadian former pro hockey player Nathan Oystrick will coach the school’s revived Ice Hockey Team.
CA announced earlier this fall that it was bringing back its hockey program, which had not been operating since 2002. Hall says for 2017-2018, CA’s team will play a sub-varsity, ten-game schedule, with some weekend and some mid-week games. “Coach Oystrick, with his multi-levels of experience, will be perfect to lead the revival of this program at CA,” says Hall.
Oystrick brings to CA a decade of experience as an ice hockey pro between 2006 and 2016, with more than 600 games played in the National Hockey League, the Kontinental Hockey League, the American Hockey League, and the East Coast Hockey League.
In the NHL, he played with the Atlanta Thrashers, the Anaheim Ducks, and the St. Louis Blues. Oystrick also has worked as Assistant Coach with the Atlanta Gladiators and as Player/Assistant Coach for the Elmira Jackals. Oystrick also played in college while attending Northern Michigan University.
He says, “I have had a passion for hockey for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Saskatchewan, my parents started me in hockey at age 6, and I rarely took my skates off. I had a lot of influential coaches from Midget AAA hockey to Junior A, college and professional, many of whom I still talk to today. I always knew that when I was done playing the game, I wanted to coach and share what I learned from them and others on and off the ice.”
Boys ice hockey joins the lineup of competitive winter sports options for CA’s Upper Schoolstudent athletes, which also include boys and girls basketball, girls swimming/diving, and co-ed rock climbing. The winter sports season runs from mid-November to mid-February.
“We are really excited that CA is adding ice hockey back into the mix,” says one parent, whose high schooler hopes to play on the team.
“I am looking forward to playing alongside my classmates,” says CA senior Sebastian Skipwith, “as well as having the support of our strong school spirit. It will be an awesome experience to be a part of laying the foundation for the revival of this sport at our school.” Skipwith has played competitive hockey for a dozen years, and says that hockey “taught me valuable life skills such as: the value of hard work, the will to never give up, and to be resilient when things get hard.”
Hall says nearly a dozen students already have expressed interest in playing – both boys and girls. He says it will take just 12-15 students to get it started. For 2018-2019, provided there is continued interest, CA will then be able to offer a varsity and a junior varsity team per CHSAA. Oystrick says, “I am honored and excited to be a part of bringing back the hockey program to CA, and I am excited to help the young men and women of CA succeed both on and off the ice.”
Colorado High School Activities Association Assistant Commissioner Bud Ozello says that ice hockey is a growing sport in Colorado schools. “The state is seeing growth in the number of schools that offer the program.” Ozello says there are now 32 teams, compared to 26 just five years ago. “Any time we can grow the ice hockey program with schools or school districts that are interested in what is best for student athletes, we are excited to do that. It’s another opportunity for students to say, ‘Yes, I represent my high school.’”
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