Now Playing: DePaul College Prep Hockey Team, A First-Year CCHL Club

By Ross Forman

The history books will show a dominant 11-1 win for the DePaul College Prep Hockey Team on Sunday, September 13, as the Rams rolled over Carmel Catholic on the road in Vernon Hills. Kieran Madden led the way with a four-goal game, while teammate Luke Jackson added a hat trick and Declan Sell had two goals.

So began the hockey legacy for DePaul Prep, approved last February as a new, pure high school team, competing at the JV level in the Chicago Catholic Hockey League (CCHL).

“I’ve thought of myself having a calm demeanor. Whether it’s hockey or any other areas of my life, I’ve tried to keep a level head. (The program’s first-ever game) was no different; it was a hockey game like any other,” said David Heflin, 33, the first-ever DePaul Prep hockey head coach. “The details that go into winning hockey are the same and I will preach that to players regularly,” as they were for the first game.

“Obviously, (that game was) very exciting for the players to officially represent their high school for the first time, but my expectations on how (they) perform will nonetheless be the same. The identity I hope the team will develop from my coaching style would be, first and foremost, having a team-first mentality. This simply means the macro and micro decisions a player makes throughout the course of the game will be made with the intention to help their team/teammates. With that will come a relentlessness to compete and willingness to outwork the opposition. From a tactical standpoint, we want to value the puck and maintain its possession. With those few values as pillars to prop us up, I want the players to use their creativity to have fun and play in exciting games and, of course, be fun to watch as a spectator.”

Heflin, who lives in Chicago, started AdvancEdge Performance in 2021, a premier hockey training service in the Chicagoland area. He got into coaching as a teenager and has held roles at various hockey training companies during the summers and off-seasons while playing juniors and college. He picked up coaching full-time in 2021 when he started AdvancEdge Performance.

He has since helped several area high schools – as a goalie coach with Carmel Catholic and Fenwick over the last five years. 

Last season, Heflin coached the Chicago Jets CSDHL team for their 2016s, a goalie coaching resource in the organization and then as a goalie coach with Fenwick.

His coaching journey also has included time with the Chicago Cougars and Vernon Hills Ice Dogs.

“The best highlights (as a coach) aren’t necessarily individual moments throughout the seasons, but (rather the) process of helping kids grow as individuals and hockey players,” he said. “There will always be awesome winning moments, but (there are) lows, too. The process of growing from the lows to get to the highs are the true highlights, not just for me but for the group and the team.

“My coaching style is a mix of the old and the new. I believe in establishing a positive relationship with my players and creating a safe environment for all. This sets the standard of being a highly competitive team with trust in each other, enabling everyone to collaborate, communicate and take risks as a group without backlash from their peers or myself. That said, there will always be times when the disciplinary figure needs to come out and lay down the hammer, but overall, I try to enable to kids to grow their own independence and allow that independence to develop into dependency amongst each other as a group.”

Heflin’s hockey journey started at age 8 when he began skating. He moved into goaltending heading into his first season of peewees. “I played locally, mostly with the Highland Park Falcons and a couple stints with Team Illinois,” Heflin said. “As a bubble AA/AAA player, I had a hard time establishing myself amongst the top players and as midgets came around, I decided taking the road less traveled was my best option and joined the junior circuit as an underclassman in high school. Starting with Junior B, I was able to climb the ranks to the NAHL before committing to UW-River Falls and then transferring to UIUC to finish my playing career. During those time, I won various individual playing and academic awards but the more impressive one included division titles in the NA3HL, WIAC regular season and tournament championships with UWRF, and a national runner-up with UIUC.”

Heflin said he learned of the DePaul Prep post in passing in a coach’s locker room. “Someone mentioned it to me and said I would be the perfect guy for the startup,” he said. “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but as the 2025-26 season came to a close, the buzz of rumors started to pick up. Eventually, I was connected with those in charge of the hiring process, and the rest is history. I have always believed in myself and my abilities – as a player, coach or whatever else, but I had heard how competitive and the numerous interviewees who also were interested in the position. So, when I received word that they wanted to move forward with me, of course I was excited. The idea of building something from the roots up is an intriguing challenge. Assuming we have success, short- and long-term, it’ll be something I can hang my hat on when it’s all said and done.”

Heflin said the Rams’ goal this season is “establishing the culture of what it means to be and be part of DePaul Prep Hockey.” He added, “This program has great potential to be a high school hockey destination. Look at the amount of success the school has had in athletics in a short period of time. We hope to integrate ourselves into the same high achieving standards that the school’s other sports have established. This first year is so important to get off on the right foot. This year will lay the foundation for years to come, long after myself and even the current freshmen (have left) the program. 

“The kids have been awesome up to this point. We have all the characters necessary to create a fun environment in the locker room. It’s easy when the kids come from a similar demographic and go to the same school. They’re already friends and have a sense of pride for each other and to represent DePaul Prep. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for a game or practice, they want to improve and succeed together.”  

Scott Bagby is a DePaul Prep assistant coach this season, this first run with Heflin, though they have known each other for years. “Scott has been awesome thus far and I expect nothing but the same throughout our time together here at DePaul,” Heflin said. “Not only does he have a great understanding of the game but he has shown that he shares a lot of the same values it comes to coaching a strong and successful team. Coaching is not all about the X’s & O’s per se, but it’s in values and lessons that we get to instill into our group.”