Eric Mayhew

Head Coach | Program Manager, Jr Pioneers Hockey 

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Eric brings over 20 years of experience coaching and developing youth, collegiate, and high-performance athletes. His coaching journey has taken him from Stanford University, where he worked in the Sports Performance division in Strength and Conditioning to leading elite Tier I and Tier II hockey programs across Colorado.

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After returning to Colorado from California, Eric coached with the Colorado Thunderbirds Tier I Boys and the Colorado Select Girls Tier I programs, earning Coach of the Year honors in 2015–2016. He has also supported player and program development at the Littleton Hockey Association and with the Colorado 14ers Girls Tier II teams.

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Eric’s coaching philosophy is grounded in Development, Respect, Integrity, Vision, and Empowerment. His mission is to help athletes grow not only as players, but as people, on and off the ice.

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At the University of Denver, Eric serves as Program Manager for the Jr. Pioneers Hockey Program, where he has led significant growth, including doubling program enrollment and building a successful 8U division. His track record includes proven success in long-term athlete development and high-performance system design.

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A Colorado native and former NCAA Division III hockey player, Eric earned his B.S. in History from Fitchburg State University. There, he served as Student Trustee and received multiple honors for leadership and service. He holds certifications as a USA Hockey Level 5 Coach, Certified Director of Hockey, Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES), and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

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Today, Eric is proud to lead the University of Denver Women’s Club Hockey Team, where he’s focused on helping student-athletes elevate their game, build confidence, and compete with pride.

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Ava Plamondon​

Assistant Coach

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Ava Plamondon is a dedicated hockey coach with over a decade of experience developing youth athletes. Ava is a former Division III player at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and grew up playing Tier I hockey with Colorado Select. After her playing career ended she has channeled her passion and competitive nature into coaching youth hockey, including Tier II U16, and U19 girls’ teams. As a certified Level 4 USA Hockey coach she has experience in assistant and head coaching roles, emphasizing mental strength and competitiveness, team dynamics, and player safety.

 

Ava’s coaching philosophy centers on holistic growth, drawing from her own journey as a player to foster resilient, skilled athletes both mentally and physically. Over the last 10 years, she has worked with multiple youth organizations in Colorado, coaching teams across all ages and delivering results in competitive environments.

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Jeff Walker

Assistant Coach

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Jeff grew up playing hockey for Arvada from 1975 to 1984. In college, at Colorado Western University, he played all four years on the school's original club team. His first year, all of his games were away because they didn’t have boards until his sophomore season. 

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His coaching career started as an assistant for a Bantam B team at Arvada in 1990. From 1991-1992, he was the Peewee A head coach. From 2015 to 2022, he worked as an assistant coach for the 12U, 15U, and 19U AA Tier II Lady Roughriders in Boulder.

 

Jeff would like to thank coach Eric and the University of Denver for giving him this opportunity to get back into coaching and to work with a great group of young ladies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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