By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The NCDC will be previewing each of the 21 teams set to hit the ice during the 2024-25 season in a continuing series up to the Sept. 19 start of the new campaign.
Pueblo Bulls
Mountain Division
Home Arena: Pueblo Ice Arena
Head Coach: Chris Wilhite
The Pueblo Bulls are coming off what they feel may be their most proactive and productive summer yet, and they are excited to see the benefits to be reaped when they open against the first-year Casper Warbirds on Sept. 27.
“We have been really happy with where our summer months have led into the first month of our season. We do our main camp in August a bit different than most and have the main camp lead directly into training camp with players moving into our program very quickly,” said General Manager Tyler Tuneberg.
“They are into skating and workouts almost immediately and we wasted no time diving right in. Head Coach Chris Wilhite and Associate Head Coach David Nelson did a great job in the off-season putting together a structure and systems that will find success this year. There were a lot of meetings this summer that have proven early to be very beneficial in getting our players what they need to be prepared.”
After missing the 2023-24 playoffs by a point – for the first time in the Bulls’ six-year history – they are more than motivated to be better in 2024-25. Everything started with the NCDC Entry Draft in May. During a pre-draft camp, the scouting staff “really got into who these players are and what makes them tick as a person as an athlete.” From there, Director of Scouting Alex Houston directed Phase I (2007-08 born players) and Director of Player Personnel Marty Wakelyn handled Phase II.
“We were very sure about the guys we wanted to take because of Alex and Marty’s efforts,” Tuneberg said.
Summer tryout camps in Minnesota, Michigan and Pueblo were very productive – and insightful for all. Seminars with info on the team and the NCDC, as well as nutritional assistance for traveling players, gave every attendee the tools and knowledge they needed.
“We currently have 13 players on our roster that attended our three camps prior to main camp, and seven that were selected in the same manner in the summer of 2023,” Tuneberg added.
Among the veteran players returning to the Bulls is ’06 goaltender Ryan Mitchell, a resident of nearby Colorado Springs who is coming back from a 2023-24 injury.
“His ceiling is so high and the energy he brings everyday is incredible,” said Wilhite. “He knows when to lock in and shut out the external noise. He gives our team a grade A chance to win every night and we are really looking forward to getting some eyes on him as he proves himself.”
Will Hofer, an ’04 defenseman, was one of only four players to skate in all 52 games last year.
“Will Hofer will take a step this year. He is so smart, has great body positioning and stick posture when defending rushes,” said Wilhite. “His Hockey smarts and spatial awareness allow him to find a seam to hit a pass or swat a puck away before it gets into a dangerous area. Will is going to take a step this year and assume a role that he is more than ready to take on.”
Additional returning Bulls include the group of Brody Clarke, Balazs Hiezl, Henry Vest, Nikita Bondariev and Jimmy Ziessel.
“Hiezl and Bondariev both played internationally this summer, representing their countries. Hiezl is expected to represent Hungary at the World Junior Championships in December. Bondariev represented Ukraine at the World Youth Junior Games back in May and June,” Tuneberg added.
The Bulls were able to pick up a pair of current roster players in Phase II of the Entry Draft in May, as ’06 winger Josh Dekarske and Gavin Barr are jumping aboard.
“Josh is a right shot forward with good speed and skill, and Gavin is a right shot center who has great playmaking ability. He is a proven winner at every level and we look to lean on him to share those traits with our group,” added Tuneberg.
Additionally, Matts Tarlton is an ’07 defenseman from Woodbury, Minn., who was taken in the Phase I draft. He will start the season with Pueblo.
“He is a left handed defenseman with both really strong offensive and defensive characteristics,” added Tuneberg. “We have a really talented young group joining us this season. We just wrapped up some exhibition games and they had some early success. What I have learned is that this group will execute by committee. We had contributions from a ton of guys playing in their first games at this level. It is exciting for not only our coaching staff but our scouting staff too to see the growth daily and understand what it takes to be successful in Pueblo and the NCDC.”
In terms of the staff, the Bulls players can lean on several years of experience, including many who have remained with Pueblo in their positions since Day 1 in Pueblo, including Wilhite, Nelson, Tuneberg and Austin Hoff, the Assistant GM and Media Director. Houston, the Director of Scouting, played at Canisius College (NCAA Division I) and was a Pueblo Bulls alum from 2020-21. Wakelyn, the Director of Player Personnel, was a Colorado College (NCAA Division I) player and then played seven years of pro hockey.
The Bulls will be ready for everything that is thrown at them this year, and feel that the NCDC is an energized league with the addition of three teams from another league in the Eastern U.S. plus the Casper Warbirds, who purchased the franchise of the former Provo Predators.
“The urge to want to be in the NCDC is great and the clubs who have come in are storied organizations with a pedigree of success. At the league level, they have done a great job improving processes and communications amongst clubs,” said Tuneberg. “The structure in place, accompanied by strong leadership, sets the NCDC up for a real bright future. Whether it’s the modified playoff format to allow some additional exposure or the supplemental support they are lending to the combines in the summer and throughout the year, it has the same message: positive, sustainable growth.”
The Mountain Division itself will be just that – a massive mountain for every one of the six teams to climb.
“The NCDC Mountain division has been a strong division. The balance of teams in 2024-25 should allow for competitive games every night. The atmosphere of a game in the Mountain Division is unlike anywhere else in the league and proves to be a factor. I believe this year will be no different. This division has excellent recruiters and great operators that make it exciting for any player to want to come and showcase their talents,” Tuneberg said.
“Pueblo has always had a very proud culture and very high compete athletes playing in our organization,” he said. “This season will be no different and our fans have a ton to look forward to.”
