Many Durango High School sports teams have gone through coaching changes in the last year. Durango’s hockey team is no different. The difference is former head coach Brian Ensign went out on top, winning the 4A state championship last March in his last game before retiring as the head coach.
The show goes on without Ensign leading the team as the Demons look to compete again with a rebuilt roster under interim head coach Will Daniels. Gone are forwards Lucas Betz, Henry Howe and Brady Holbrook who graduated. Each of those players finished last season with 26 points to lead the Demons.
“Certainly, it's a different team altogether,” Daniels said. “It wasn't just some of our top goal scorers, but there were a lot of seniors that were part of the crew that are gone. It's tough, but that's part of the rebuilding. We've got a lot of young talent. We have a great group from the bottom of JV to the top of varsity. It's a good group. So we're excited about the future of all these kids.”
Junior Leyton Holbrook returns for the Demons after finishing last season fourth in points with four goals and 12 assists. Junior Wynn Daniels returns after he finished last season with 14 points.
While last year’s team was powerful on offense and forced the puck up the middle most times, Daniels recognizes this team on offense is a little smaller so they’ll have to play differently.
“We’ve got one line that's super fast with a couple of juniors,” Daniels said. “We got another line that's super creative, ready to move the puck around and make some fun plays. So it's going to look different. But we're not worried about our goal-scoring. We're definitely looking to play both ends, that's our deal. Now, it's just trying to figure out how we can play on both ends and be comfortable through the neutral zone.”
Defensively, Daniels expects seniors Conor Jones and Alder Metcalf to set the tone with some physical play. Daniels has been impressed with the play of sophomore Dylan Saunders from Telluride and sophomore Seven Tudor. Daniels called Tudor a stud and thinks she’s one of the few girls playing Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) hockey.
Two familiar faces return to play goaltender for the Demons in seniors Evan Brock and Luka Remec. Brock and Remec split time last year with Remec playing during the playoffs.
Durango started its season in Gunnison with a 6-5 loss against Colorado Academy on Thursday and a 2-1 against Cheyenne Mountain on Friday. The Demons were ranked fourth in 4A in the preseason poll. Cheyenne Mountain was third.
The Demons will play plenty of the top teams in 4A this season in the 4A Mountain League, which contains No. 2 Steamboat Springs, Caprock Academy, Aspen, Battle Mountain, No. 8 Crested Butte, No. 6 Glenwood Springs, No. 5 Summit and Durango.
Daniels expects the Mountain League to be as tough as any Front Range teams Durango could face.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
