This has been years in the making for Kieran Cebrian.
Cebrian, a Denver native who played for the Jr. Pioneers and Colorado Thunderbirds youth programs, was named captain of the University of Denver hockey team Wednesday for the 2026-27 season.
The defending NCAA champion Pios will also have senior defenseman Cale Ashcroft, senior forward Sam Harris, junior forward and Colorado Avalanche prospect Jake Fisher and sophomore forward Kyle Chyzowski as alternate captains.
“Kieran has been part of the Denver hockey family since he was a child, skating for the Jr. Pioneers program and has earned this honor,” Pios coach David Carle said in a statement. “This is a veteran leadership group with him, Cale, Sam, Jake and Kyle, and they understand the commitment to uphold our standard and representing our program with pride. They have the trust and respect of their teammates, and I’m confident they will be able to lead us through the challenges ahead as we defend our national title.”
Cebrian was captain of his U-16 team with the Thunderbirds in 2019-20. He had six goals and 17 points as a junior last season, and was a key two-way center for the team. The Pios have won three of the past five national championships, and an NCAA-record 11 overall.
