Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Playoff run fuel surge in hockey participation across state

Since winning the Stanley Cup in their inaugural 1996 season, the Colorado Avalanche have inspired generations of kids and adults to pick up a stick and hit the ice.

The current playoff run is proving no different, generating fresh excitement and driving even more interest in the sport. Matt Egan, vice president of growth for the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association, said participation has been climbing, especially when Colorado's hockey teams find success.

"It's always been real steady, which is great, with occasional increases, especially around years like this, when the Avalanche are doing so well, in an Olympic year, when DU wins the national championship," Egan said.

He said the pattern goes back decades, spanning the team's three Stanley Cup championships in 1996, 2001 and 2022. The association is already planning to capitalize on this season's momentum. Watch the full story in the video player below. Avs Stanley Cup Playoff run fuel surge in hockey participation across CO

"We're going to be putting forth a lot of Try Hockey For Free events over the next 12 months to leverage off of some of this excitement that's been going on," Egan said. "It'll be interesting to see how the numbers look over the next 12 months, and then even the next 12 months after that, as far as our registrations go."

Data from USA Hockey shows the number of registered youth players in Colorado increased nearly 4% from the 2023-2024 season to the 2024-2025 season. Egan said women's hockey has grown at nearly double the rate of men's hockey in recent years.

"A lot more girls getting into the game and staying in the game, which is what we like to see, and hopefully we'll even get our own PWHL team here in Denver at some point," Egan said.

Okanagan Hockey Colorado, an elite youth hockey association serving players ages 13 through 18, is also seeing a surge in interest.

Brooke Wilfley, an Okanagan director, said the association saw nearly double the number of kids try out this spring. The increase comes after the association's 16U team won the USA Hockey National Championship in March.

"I think all of the different things happening in Colorado at the hockey level, whether it's the Av's success, DU's repeated success... we just see an increase in people wanting to be here and recognizing Colorado as a hockey state," Wilfley said.

Despite the growing interest, both Wilfley and Egan acknowledged that hockey can be a demanding and costly commitment for families.

"It can be intimidating because you have to learn how to skate, and then you have to apply all these other components, but we believe that it should be a sport that's accessible to everybody," Wilfley said. "It's a big commitment, right. There's a lot of early mornings and a lot of late evenings, and a lot of travel involved, but it's an unbelievable community,"

Egan said programs like Try Hockey For Free, offered in partnership with USA Hockey and the Colorado Avalanche, are opening the door for kids who might not otherwise give the sport a chance. Equipment drives at hockey associations across the state are helping families manage the cost.

Colorado's deep bench of former professional and college players is also helping fuel the sport's growth from the inside.

"There's a lot of former professionals here in Colorado, and also a lot of high-level college players as well, Division One, Division Three, and so those are wonderful people to come out and give back to the game," Egan said.

Egan said infrastructure is emerging as the next challenge, as rink capacity is a limiting factor as demand grows. He said a new indoor ice hockey facility planned for the Sterling Ranch area in Douglas County will help support growth.

"Without additional sheets, we can only grow so much. We always try and maximize ice. They do things like split ice for practices, especially at the younger ages, where a half sheet will do just fine for an 8U or a 10U team," Egan said.

Public skating sessions at facilities like the Family Sports Center in Centennial are also giving players a low-cost way to stay sharp and reconnect with the sport.

"I like love skating on the ice and stuff and its just fun throwing around the puck," Adeline Holland, who was at the skating session with her friend and two brothers on Sunday afternoon, said.

"Our season has ended and we're just trying to get back into hockey, get the feeling again, so we can just know how it goes," skater Cameron Holland said.

For some young players, the inspiration traces directly back to the Avalanche's roster.

"My favorite player, MacKinnon... he got me into it because he's like good at it and it looks fun, so that's when I wanted to play," Kayden Holland, a hockey player from Colorado Springs, said.