Previewing the NAPHL: Rocky Mountain RoughRiders | North American Prospects Hockey League | NAPHL
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Previewing the NAPHL: Rocky Mountain RoughRiders

September 10, 2015
Over the course of the next two weeks, the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) is proud to feature a new series that will preview each of the 38 teams in the NAPHL for the 2015-16 season. Each day, leading all the way up to the first event of the season at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN, the league will feature a different organization and take a look at both their teams.
 
The Rocky Mountain RoughRiders enter the 2015-16 season excited to be rejoining the NAPHL.   The RoughRiders were part of the NAPHL at the 14U, 16U and 18U levels during the 2010-11 season.  The RoughRiders will field AAA/Tier 1 teams at the 12U, 13U, 14U, 16U American, 16U National and 18U levels for the 2015-16 Season.  
 
Rocky Mountain RoughRiders Staff
The RoughRiders Coaching Staff from top to bottom has been one of the main reasons the Program has been able to make the strides it has made over a short period of time.   Many of the RoughRiders coaches have been in the organization from day one including the RoughRiders Director of Hockey Operations, Derek Robinson.  The 16U and 18U Head Coaches both bring a wealth of hockey knowledge and playing experience to the Program.   With almost 1300 games played in the NHL between the two of them Doug Smail and Sergey Krivokrasov have the experience and knowledge as both players and coaches to help develop players for the next level.
 
Coach Smail has been with the RoughRiders since the program started.  He has been coaching at the AAA level for many years and developing players both on and off the ice for the next level.  During his playing career Smail played 10+ seasons (845 games) in the NHL where he was named an NHL All Star.  Smail was a member of the National Championship North Dakota Fighting Sioux in 1980 where he was named the MVP of the tournament.
 
Coach Krivokrasov enters his second year as a coach with the RoughRiders.   He has been a coach at both the professional and AAA level for several years.  During his playing career Krivokrasov played 10+ seasons (450 games) in the NHL where he was named an NHL All Star.   Krivokrasov was a member of Russia’s World Junior Championship team and won a Silver Medal as a member of Team Russia at the Olympics.
 
18U Head Coach: Doug Smail                          
16U Head Coach: Sergey Krivokrasov         
Academic Advisor: Gregg Burkhard                
Goalie Coach: Timm Lorenz                      
Director        Derek Robinson
 
Rocky Mountain RoughRiders 18U Team
The RoughRiders 18U team is coming off a successful 2014-15 season where they won the Colorado Tier 1 State Championship at the 18U level.   The team’s strength starts in the net with two RoughRiders returners, Zack LaRocque who played for the RoughRiders 18U team last season and Cody Christofferson who played for the RoughRiders 16U team last season.   The 18U team will be made up 17 players who are returning RoughRiders of which seven are returning 18U players.   There are big expectations from the returning 18U players at forward - Zach Schwenk, David Mitchell, John Kiernan and Kevin Behrens.   Look for the 1998 forwards to be a big part of this team starting with Brandon Wilky and Nicholas Ness.   The returning 1998 defenseman James Crossman, Demetri Kambeitz and Christian Holton will be strong on the blue line.
 
Rocky Mountain RoughRiders 16U Team
The RoughRiders 16U team will be made up 15 players who are returning RoughRiders.  The 16U roster is almost split down the middle between their 1999 and 2000 birth year players.  The 16U team is looking for big things from their returning 1999 players at forward (Jacob Marti, Kevin Ness, Matthew Radzihovsky, Evan Breese, Nathan Hodges) and at defense (Adam Millar and Ethan Prout).   They have a very solid group of 2000 born players at both forward and defense that will catch eyes.   In net the 16U team has two returning RoughRiders Cisco Clark-Silva (1999) and Adam Miller (2000).
 
The RoughRiders play out of the finest facilities in Colorado.
• 3 Sheet Facility – Ice Centre at the Promenade
• U16 and U18 Locker Rooms
• Remodeled RoughRiders Weight Room / Meeting Rooms
 
The RoughRiders are currently building a new facility in Superior, CO
• 2 Sheet Facility with Skill Pad – Boulder Valley Ice Ranch
• Locker rooms for all teams
• Full Strength & Conditioning Facility, Off Ice Skill Training Facility, Rehab Facility
 
Rocky Mountain RoughRiders Affiliations
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders – United States Hockey League (“USHL”)
Topeka RoadRunners – North American Hockey League (“NAHL”)
Connecticut Oilers – Eastern Hockey League (“EHL”)

 

 
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