Gillian Wisniewski / The Cougar
Houston has always been a city with a diverse range of sports. From Soccer to Football, there are multiple clubs and athletic departments that many people follow throughout the course of their respective seasons.
The Houston hockey team is an example of one of these teams but has faced unfortunate circumstances since their distance to campus and game times conflict with other clubs and departments.
However, the hockey team has begun to build their reputation online through their social media presence, posting clips of them playing their games and interviews with players and coaches.
“We’re in Houston so not many people know what hockey is in the first place,” said sophomore forward Grant Sturdevant. “I think just in general, us posting about it and getting on the timeline of people who scroll on TikTok, it’s helping us.”
Introductions and the season
Starting off with coaching, the team is led by Head Coach Chris Bilec, who is the second head coach in club history. He has seen immense playing time throughout his years in the United States Army and devoted his life to coaching after serving his time.
“Hockey’s been so good to me that I’m just giving back to the community,” Bilec said. “That’s how Hockey can impact their lives too.”
With him came the three captains for the season with sophomore forward DJ Hoffman, sophomore defenseman Austin Droit and Sturdevant leading the charge for the 2026-27 season.
All three players have previous experience playing Hockey with different teams and schools, but have all joined together in Houston for this season.
“I’m definitely honored that I was selected to be an alternate captain for the team and I take it with a lot of pride,” Droit said. “There’s first game jitters but once you get in after your first or second shift you finally settle in.”
Hoffman, Droit and Sturdevant have grown with Hockey in their own ways and have had some amazing experiences playing and enjoying the game.
“My dad got me into the sport and from there it’s been my passion for the rest of my life,” Hoffman said. “Me and him would skate here at Sugar Land and public skate occasionally. I remember there was a time where I saw some kid jump on the ice with full gear and my eyes just lit up.”
When talking about the season, the Cougars have been very successful in their first few games gaining a record of 3-1 overall. They took an even series against DBU but shut out Rice in their first two games of the season.
“I’m hoping this season we not only win all of our games but we grow as a team on campus and get that fanbase of students,” Sturdevant said. “I know it’s hard since we’re in Sugar Land but I’m hoping we can make an impression to people who are on campus and let them know that we have a hockey team.”
What’s next?
The Houston hockey team is starting to grow traction and the team hopes to see more people come out to their games.
“Where else are you going to watch hockey in Houston?” Sturdevant said. “If you see our TikToks, Instagram reels, anything like that, that’s us trying to get you to come out to a game.”
Hockey will begin their next series on Oct. 9 at home against East Texas Baptist University, at the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center.
sports@thedailycougar.com
