Avalanche Community Ambassadors

The Colorado Avalanche Community Ambassadors are past NHL players, coaches, and referees who make special appearances in classrooms and at a variety of community events and organizations across the seven-county Denver metro area.

The community ambassadors are available for hockey clinics, school assemblies, and community events. This is a free service courtesy of the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche's current Community Ambassadors include Rick Berry and John Michael Liles; both former Avalanche players.

For more information or to schedule a Community Ambassador at an upcoming event, please submit the following request form. Please note - not all requests are guaranteed to be fulfilled.

Please contact communityrelations@teamkse.com with any questions.

Avalanche Ambassador Appearance Request

JOHN-MICHAEL LILES

John-Michael Liles was born on November 25, 1980 in Indianapolis, Indiana. After playing for the renowned powerhouse Culver Academy for his first two years of high school, Liles was invited and selected to play for the USA National Team Development Program based in Ann Arbor Michigan where he was a key component of the 17U and 18U's defensive core. Following his stint with the national team, John-Michael was recruited to play for Michigan State University and led defense in scoring as a Freshman. He would go on to lead his entire team in points as a Junior and Senior, earning him second-team All-American honors and ending his NCAA career as a Hobey Baker Finalist.

The Colorado Avalanche selected Liles in the 5th round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He made his professional debut immediately following his impressive NCAA career with the Avalanche American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears. In 2003, Liles made the Avalanche's leading all NHL rookie defensemen in scoring with 34 points in 79 games earning him NHL's all-rookie team honors.

Liles headed the blueline crew for the Avs for 8 total seasons (2003-2011), playing one season overseas in Germany during the lockout. John-Michael made franchise and NHL history when he recorded an assist in 9 consecutive games to start the 2010-11 season.

Liles was traded to Toronto in 2011. He played six more seasons in the NHL for the Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins. Liles finished his NHL career just last season (2016-17), ending up with 87 goals and 283 assists for 370 career points.

Liles returned to Colorado Avalanche serving as a Community Ambassador as well as working on the Learn to Play program, which helps grow the game of hockey throughout the state of Colorado. John-Michael lives in Vail, CO with his wife Erin and daughter.

RICK BERRY

Rick Berry, born November 4, 1978 in Birtle, Manitoba, is a retired NHL player and currently serves as a Community Ambassador for the Colorado Avalanche. Rick began his hockey career in the Western Hockey League where he spent 3 seasons playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds (1995-1998) and Spokane Chiefs (1997-1998).

Rick was selected 55th overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. Following his draft selection, he spent 3 seasons with the Hershey Bears (1998-2001) in the American Hockey League (AHL) until he was called up to make his NHL debut in 2001. 2002 marked his first full NHL season where he played 57 games for the Avalanche and 13 for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rick would go on to finish his NHL career with 2 seasons on the Washington Capitals. Rick played in 197 NHL Games tallying 2 goals, 13 assists and 314 penalty minutes. Following his 4-year stint in the NHL, Rick played in the AHL for 5 more seasons before heading overseas to join the Duisburg Foxes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Rick's playing career came to an end in 2009 after 1 season in Germany.

Rick currently resides in Littleton, CO with his wife and 3 children.

KYLE QUINCEY

Kyle Quincey was born on August 12, 1985 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Growing up in Ontario, Kyle played youth hockey for the Halton Hurricanes before being selected in the third round of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection in 2001. Spending 4 seasons in North America's premier junior hockey league, Quincey played for the London Knights and the Mississauga Ice Dogs in the OHL. Quincey was then selected in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft in the 4th round and made his pro debut for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League in 2005 while also making his NHL debut for the Detroit Red Wings that season. Kyle spent 3 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings organization before heading to Los Angeles for his first full season in the NHL recording 38 points (4G, 34A). In 2009, Quincey joined the Colorado Avalanche playing in 4 seasons from 2009-2012. After his stint with the Avalanche, Kyle returned to the Detroit Red Wings for 5 more seasons (2012-2016). He would go on to spend 2 more seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Quincey completed an extensive NHL career with 586 games played, 36 goals, 122 assists and 548 penalty minutes. Kyle finished his professional career playing for HIFK Helsinki in the Finnish Elite League for the 2018-19 season before moving back to Denver, CO to retire with his wife and 2 sons. He currently sits on the board of the Colorado Avalanche Alumni Association while also offering up his time to the Colorado Hockey Community.