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 U of D Jesuit Hockey
Mission and Tradition
University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy is committed to providing the highest quality of Jesuit college preparatory education to young men in southeast Michigan. U of D Jesuit, in collaboration with parents, will challenge its students to go beyond academic excellence, to be reflective, to be committed to the service of personal faith and the promotion of justice: to be "Men for Others." U of D Jesuit will provide an atmosphere of learning and individual spiritual development that reaches into the larger community.
Since 1877,the Jesuits have been educating some of the finest young men in the Southeastern Michigan area. More than a century ago, the Jesuits established their college preparatory school on Jefferson Avenuein a small, yet growing city not far from Lake St. Clair.
The high school moved to its present location in 1930, and the school address of 8400 South Cambridge has been synonymous with academic excellence ever since. For over 130 years, U of D Jesuit has provided young men an outstanding high school education and since 1973, junior high students have had the same academic opportunities.
In 1995-96, hockey was reinstated at The High as a varsity sport after a 58 year absence. In 1998-99, a Junior Varsity Club team was added and in 2002 that was elevated to Varsity B status. The hockey program offers an average of 42 young men the opportunity to continue their hockey careers at the high school level. Both teams play out of City Sport Center in downtown Detroit, where they enjoy their own locker rooms, weight room, storage room and other skill enhancing equipment specific to the sport of hockey.
The Varsity B team is coached by Rich Swartz. Rich continues to elevate the Varsity B program by competing in the MJVHL and has added Jeff Burton '99, Mike Raymond '08 and Cyril Pinchak, S.J. to returning coaches Mike Siegrist and Trevor Sattelmeyer and GM Mike Evans while upgrading the competition of the overall schedule to mirror that of the varsity team.
The hockey team at U of D Jesuit was a member of the Michigan Prep Hockey League for the first seven seasons and has been a member of arguably the finest high school hockey league in the state, the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League, since the 2002-03 season. The league is made up of Catholic Central, Brother Rice, Cranbrook, Port Huron Nothern, Grosse Pointe North, De La Salle, Orchard Lake St. Mary's and U of D Jesuit, Trenton and Wyandotte. The non-league schedule is comprised of the finest competition available in Michigan and Ohio and will find the following teams as opponents for the 2012-13 season: two of the top teams in the state of Ohio (St. John’s and St. Ignatius), Calumet, Kingsford, Flint Powers and Grosse Pointe South, the MIHL Showcase in Trenton and the Catholic League Playoff (Divine Child, OLSM or DeLaSalle), Muskegon Mona Shores and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern Eastern.
The hockey program strives to develop the whole person, incorporating the “magis”, doing more for Christ and a “cura personalis”, care of the person, approach. To help fulfill that, the team does several community service projects each year and attends a pre-school Mass once each week. They participated in the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade for seven consecutive years, have adopted a section of 8 Mile through the MDOT Adopt a Highway Program and participate in the monthly summer Focus Hope food deliveries.
The hockey team prides itself in having been an Academic All-State team all 17 seasons and in 1997, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012 were the #1 academic team in the state. The Cubs also advanced to the state final four in 2005. The hockey team has graduated eight valedictorians, 40 players have gone on to play College Club Hockey, six have played Division I college hockey with Evan Moore currently in his freshman year at Robert Morris University. Mac Olson '09 is a freshman at Hobart (Division III) and Matthew Moore is a freshman at Lawrence University (Division III). Ryan Walker '10 is playing in the NAHL in Kenai River, Alaska and Anthony Stempin '11 is playing in New Jersey in the EJHL.,
The Cub Varsity Coaching Staff is comprised of Rick Bennetts (Club Hockey at Northern Michigan University), Mike Costello '78, (Club Hockey at Marquette University), Tim Moore (Division I hockey at Miami/Ohio) and Terry Olson (Division I hockey at Western Michigan University).
Lastly, the hockey program would not have advanced beyond the first season, much less to the point where it is now, if it were not for the support it has received from the school administration, faculty, staff, alumni and students as well as from the players and their parents who took a chance and played for their school 16 years ago. Each year the hockey program has enjoyed tremendous support from its players and parents and this year is no exception, which makes the job of coaching much easier and very enjoyable.
Thank you for your support and “Here’s to U of D High School”.
A.M.D.G.
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