Avalanche Mentee Helping Shape High School Hockey Identity in Houston
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Not only is high school hockey alive and present in the city of Houston, Texas, but it is thriving.
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston boasts a varsity high school hockey team that is currently undefeated across the ongoing season. Coached by Head Coach Jeff Kipp — who grew to love hockey during his time in Colorado and was mentored by Paul Goldberg, strength and conditioning coach of the Colorado Avalanche from 1999 until the late 2000s — the team has quickly become an elite program since its first official game in 2021.
Strake Jesuit is a part of the ISHL, which is Houston’s Interscholastic Hockey League. The league’s overall purpose is to promote high school hockey and create new teams throughout Houston and the surrounding area.
There are currently 11 teams within the league; eight of these are Houston teams and there is one based in College Station, one in Austin and another in San Antonio.
The ISHL saw a total number of players of 347 for 19 teams during the IHL days of the Houston Aeros for the 2000-01. While times have changed for the major Texas city in terms of the Aeros’ departure, the ISHL is still operating with over 170 players as of press time and the NHL is actively considering Houston for a potential expansion team.
Frank Prestigiovanni, the current ISHL President, who also has a passion for implementing philanthropy work in the league, said the ISHL has a strong focus on developing well-rounded players.
“We strive to give a great experience in not only the great sport of hockey, but life lessons by community involvement,” Prestigiovanni said in an exclusive. “Our efforts are to be a premier hockey league for high school hockey. We're trying to give a complete experience in terms of sportsmanship, respecting the game, respecting your opponent, respecting the officials, respecting the fans and respecting the coaches … We’re trying to do more than just being a competitive hockey league.”
Strake Jesuit Hockey Showcasing Houston Hockey Success at Young Age Levels
Kipp — a level five hockey coach with USA Hockey who originally helped found the program — has two full-time assistant coaches, one part-time assistant coach and one volunteer assistant-coach. Middle schoolers across Houston regularly reach out to him with desires of becoming a potential member of the program.
For Kipp, he also holds the position of Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Strake Jesuit and was previously the strength coach for the hockey team at the Air Force Academy. Some of his main priorities include implementing a strong performance aspect while celebrating the growth of the sport.
“Part of my responsibility is to protect the player and push them to their limits without going over those limits,” Kipp said. “I want to provide a good program and I want to do the best I can for the kids.
I would say it is my hope that we're doing our part to grow hockey and show that hockey is successful here … I think through building a program like we have, that in itself does show that hockey can work here in a non-traditional market.”
Kipp’s resume also includes having assisted with various developmental camps within the Colorado Avalanche organization.
Strake Jesuit’s full roster for the 2026-27 is as follows, and includes the ISHL’s top goalie from last year in Nikolai Saratovtsev:
Defenseman Tomas Padilla (Class of 2028)
Forward Tyson Pryor (Class of 2030)
Defenseman John Gonzalez (Class of 2030)
Defenseman Theo Schneider (Class of 2030)
Forward Isaac Higdon (Class of 2029)
Forward Cesar Gopar (Class of 2028)
Defenseman/Forward Cameron Brown (Class of 2027)
Forward Coleman Knight (Class of 2030)
Defenseman/Forward Freeland Walker (Class of 2030)
Forward Grant Fraser (Class of 2029)
Forward Nick Haozhe Yu (Class of 2028)
Forward Maximilian Smirnov (Class of 2029)
Forward Kilner Kennish (Class of 2030)
Forward Lucas Bourliot (Class of 2027)
Forward Luke Depue (Class of 2027), Co-Captain
Defenseman/Forward Chris O'Dell (Class of 2029)
Defenseman/Forward Jack Kirby (Class of 2027)
Goaltender Nikolai Saratovtsev (Class of 2027), Alternate Captain
Defenseman/Forward Dean McCulley (Class of 2027)
Forward Jack O'Brian (Class of 2027)
Forward Karlson Lee (Class of 2027)
Forward Luke Carter (Class of 2027)
Defenseman Thomas Jackson (Class of 2027), Co-Captain
Defenseman Lincoln Bowman (Class of 2028)
Forward Christopher Wright (Class of 2027)
Forward/Defenseman Graham Aufdenspring (Class of 2029)
Forward Chris Iacobell (Class of 2027)
Forward Luke Colmenter (Class of 2030)
Forward Kennish Griffen (Class of 2030)
Forward Gus Jenman (Class of 2027)
Multiple players on the team are multi-sport athletes.
This includes four-sport athlete and defenseman Tomas Padilla, who stands at 6’4”, and makes it a priority to help the underclassmen.
“Just having the presence of being one of the bigger guys on the team, I can set the tone in a game. I’m also an upperclassman now, so I can be a helping hand for the younger guys,” Padilla said.
Strake Jesuit is a two-time state runner-up and recently hit its program’s 100th win. The Crusaders are also currently holding the ISHL South Division Championship title and also won the Varsity Justice Cup last season.
Co-captain Thomas Jackson said part of what makes Strake Jesuit so successful on the ice is due to an incredibly high level of team chemistry.
“I can’t give enough credit to the chemistry — seriously that’s the one thing our team has built through the last four years that I’m so proud of,” Jackson said. “The communication between the members and the team, and just the tightness that we have as a group. It's nothing like we've had before.”
Strake Jesuit’s very first official ISHL game was a 6-0 shutout win on Oct. 8, 2021. The program has continued to grow year after year, which has helped result in the current undefeated record in the ongoing year.
Luke Depue is a talented senior forward and the other co-captain on the Strake Jesuit team whose father, Mike, is the Assistant Commissioner for the ISHL. He said that while he’s played for various travel teams in Houston since he was 10, there’s truly something special about hockey in Houston and at Strake Jesuit in particular.
“Some of my best friends that I hang out with outside of school all the time are on the hockey team, and I think we became friends just through that shared interest,” Depue said. “Playing hockey at Strake [Jesuit] makes it really easy for everyone to buy-in.”
Strake Jesuit’s next game will take place on Nov. 13, however the high school team does also see some play at Houston’s new $40 million rink of the Deep South Ice and Sports Complex — which showcases that hockey is continuing to grow at extremely high levels across the city.
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Jennifer Streeter graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Texas A&M and received her Master of Science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. At both schools, she focused on an emphasis of sports reporting. A former athlete herself, "Jenny" was a varsity soccer player and comes from a family who participated in NCAA athletics. She has covered hockey since 2023 and is credentialed for the Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils and PWHL in addition to having covered the 2026 Frozen Four.