Breaking the Ice: How Raymond Streuli Became UCO Hockey’s Youngest Broncho

For Raymond Streuli, hockey has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. Some of his earliest memories are of sitting in the stands at the Cox Convention Center with his father, watching the Oklahoma City Barons take the ice. Thanks to a former student of his aunt, who frequently refereed the Barons’ games, Streuli was able to step into locker rooms, meet players and hold game-used pucks. Those small moments left a big impression, sparking a passion that would lead him to where he is today. 

Now, at just 18 years old, Streuli is the youngest player on the University of Central Oklahoma hockey team, a squad known for its dominance in the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) and for capturing two American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I National Championships. Despite the team’s success, his path to UCO wasn’t exactly planned. After spending the majority of his high school career in Des Moines, he decided to return home to Edmond for his senior year and graduate alongside his childhood friends. At that point, college hockey wasn’t really on his radar. He figured he’d attend school at the University of Oklahoma as a regular student, but fate had other plans.

At a wedding for one of his close friends, former UCO player Vitali Mikhailov, Streuli met several UCO players who knew he had experience on the ice, but wasn’t playing anywhere at the time. They suggested he give UCO hockey a shot, and after a few conversations and some thought, he found himself on the ice at a practice.

“I just kind of showed up and they never told me to leave,” Streuli joked. 

Getting onto the roster was one thing, but adjusting to college life was another. Streuli had to navigate enrolling at UCO in the middle of an academic block, but having the support from both the team and the university made the transition smooth.

“Everybody was super helpful,” he emphasized. “It was a weird time to get into school, but they really made it easy.”

The locker room dynamic also took some getting used to. With teammates anywhere from two to eight years older than him, Streuli suddenly found himself surrounded by players with much more experience, both on and off the ice.

“There’s definitely a big gap,” he admitted. “Some guys are almost a decade older than me, but it’s a good balance. I learn a lot from them and they help keep me in check.”

The mix of experience and mentorship has helped him grow, and he’s already thinking about what’s next. Streuli pointed out that an upcoming rule change will drastically shift the landscape of college hockey, allowing players from Canada’s major junior leagues, who were previously ineligible for NCAA competition, to join college programs. It’s a move that will send ripples through all levels of collegiate hockey.

“It’s going to create a chain reaction,” he explained. “Some of those players who would have gone straight to Division I will now be forced to Division II, pushing others down to D3, ACHA D1 and so on. It’ll make things even more competitive.”

For Streuli, he plans to stay at UCO, play through his eligibility and then take his ambitions off the ice and into law school. As a business major, he’s already laying the groundwork for his future beyond hockey.

When asked what advice he’d give to young players, especially those from Oklahoma who might not have the same hockey opportunities as kids from traditional hockey markets, Streuli kept it simple: self-motivation is key.

“You don’t need to rely on an organization to develop,” he said. “It’s on you. You have to find the extra hours, open ice and put in the work yourself.”

From a child in the stands at Barons games to an 18-year-old now suiting up for the Bronchos, Raymond Streuli is proof of that mindset.