Colorado's growth in youth hockey has led to the formation of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League, a Tier III under-20 league that's set to begin play Oct. 2 and add to the state's wide range of opportunities for the sport.
Colorado's first junior A-based league, the RMJHL is made up of six teams: Colorado Thunderbirds (metro Denver), Colorado Rampage (Monument), Pikes Peak Miners (Colorado Springs), Breckenridge Bucks, Glacier Yetis (Grand Junction) and Aspen Leafs.
"Before now there was no USA Hockey-sanctioned junior hockey in this state and now there is," RMJHL president Shaun Hathaway said. "Colorado's been growing leaps and bounds in hockey over the years, and we've established ourselves as a dominant force.