By: Brendan Price

With one season of junior hockey under his belt, forward Eric Horein moves to NoCo ready to keep growing into the player he wants to be.

“My personal goal is to continue to develop and move on to higher levels of hockey, whether it’s next season or the season after,” explained Horein.

The 6’2, 205-pound forward made huge strides in his first year of juniors, scoring six points (2-4-6) in 31 games with the Wisconsin Rapids River Kings. He entered junior hockey with two successful years of high school hockey under his belt and a goal scoring presence that Head Coach/General Manager Steve Haddon hopes will continue to blossom.

“Eric plays with a lot of jam and has a knack for scoring,” explained Haddon.

“With his first season of junior hockey out of the way, he can use that experience to have a great season,” he added.

The 2004 birth year forward has two years of eligibility remaining and is prepared to take his game to the next level. The Madison, WI product honed in on the Eagles as the place to accelerate his development. 

Horein looked at the organization’s successful development and promotion of players to college and other junior hockey since joining the USPHL. Eagles alumni Brennan McFarland (‘19-’21) at Saint Michael’s University and Ethan Pitzman (‘21-’22) to Fredonia State along with forwards Nicolas Samson (‘20-’21) and Brayden Fryfogle (‘20-22) to the Saskatchewan Junior League. Horein knew that Northern Colorado was the next step for his development.

“It stood out to me that Coach Haddon has consistently helped players develop to make it to the next level along with consistency of winning seasons,” Horein noted.

“We’re excited to work with Eric and help him on his hockey path,” Haddon remarked.

The Eagles advanced to the Mountain Division Finals last year and are looking for more, something Horein is well aware of and ready to contribute to.

“My team goal is to be at the top of the division and win nationals,” declared Horein.

Entering their 10th season of existence, the Eagles have graduated over 100 players to college commitments in the United States (NCAA) and Canada (U-Sports), as well as professional contracts abroad. Eagles’ alumni dot the hockey landscape; playing in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), Poland and Sweden.

If you are a player that is interested in joining the Eagles organization for the upcoming 2022-2023 season, please email Coach Haddon at haddon@northerncoloradoeagles.com.