Founder · Bayreuther Hockey Club
Gavin Bayreuther
Ten years of professional hockey. The NHL, the AHL, four years of NCAA Division I, and a year in Switzerland. All of it started on a backyard rink in New Hampshire, and all of it now pointed at the players who show up to his ice in Maine.
Dallas Stars vs. Boston, 2018 · American Airlines Center
- Pro hockey
- 10 years
- NHL games
- 122
- Leagues
- NHL · AHL · Swiss NL
- College
- St. Lawrence, NCAA D1
The journey
From a backyard rink to the NHL
I wasn’t drafted. Nothing about my path was guaranteed. I went from a backyard rink in New Hampshire to nearly a decade of professional hockey, earning every opportunity along the way.
That journey is a huge part of why I started BHC. I know what it’s like to be 14 years old wondering what comes next, and I know how much the right coaching, guidance and belief can matter.
The path taught me far more than the résumé ever could, and those lessons are what I want to pass on to the next generation of players.
The start
A backyard rink in Canaan
Canaan, New Hampshire
It all started on the rink my dad flooded in our backyard. Early mornings, frozen hands, and countless hours spent outside, all because I genuinely loved the game. That backyard rink is still the foundation for how I approach hockey and coach today.
Prep school
Cardigan Mountain & Holderness
New Hampshire
Before I became fully focused on hockey, I was a multisport athlete who also played soccer and lacrosse. Playing different sports helped shape the athlete and hockey player I became, which is why I encourage young players to build their overall athleticism before specializing too early.
Junior
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders & Fargo Force
USHL
Junior hockey took me to the Midwest, a long way from home. Being away wasn't easy at first, but it forced me to grow up and become more independent. My junior career ended with a run to the USHL Finals with Fargo.
2013 – 2017
St. Lawrence University
NCAA Division I · ECAC
I played four years of Division I hockey at St. Lawrence, earned ECAC Co-Rookie of the Year honors in 2014, and was a two-time All-American. I also hold the school record for most goals by a defenseman, with 35. I left college undrafted but confident that I had earned an opportunity to play professionally.
2017 – 2020
Dallas Stars & Texas Stars
NHL · AHL
I signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent, the hard way in. I helped Texas reach the Calder Cup Final in 2018 and made my NHL debut against Boston on November 16 of that year.
Boxing out Sidney Crosby · Pittsburgh, November 21, 2018Photo: Gene J. Puskar / AP
2020 – 2023
Columbus Blue Jackets & Cleveland Monsters
NHL · AHL
I spent three seasons in the Columbus organization and played 103 of my 122 NHL games there. In 2022-23, I recorded a career-high 14 points in 51 games. I also learned a lot about the importance of performing and delivering every single day.
2023 – 2024
Back to Dallas
NHL · AHL
I signed a one-year deal that brought me back to the organization that first gave me an opportunity to play professionally.
2024 – 2025
Lausanne HC
Switzerland · National League
I spent a season playing professionally in Switzerland. It was a different-sized rink, a different style of hockey, and a completely different way of seeing how the game can be played.
2025 – 2026
Carolina, Chicago, Buffalo & Rochester
NHL · AHL
This was my tenth professional season. A decade in pro hockey taught me what truly separates the players who last from the players who don't, and that talent is only one small piece of it.
Now
Bayreuther Hockey Club
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
My wife, Erin, and I chose Maine as the place where we wanted to raise our three kids. BHC is my opportunity to take everything the game has taught me and pass it along to the next generation of players, right here at home.
Why BHC
What a decade teaches you
Going undrafted and playing anyway teaches you something a first-round pick never learns: almost nobody gets there on talent. They get there on habits, on how they think the game, and on whether they can be relied upon in a puck battle in the third period.
That is what BHC coaches. Not a drill pack, but the details, the standard and the compete level that hold up when the pace goes up.
It is also why the groups stay small. A player who gets one cue every twenty minutes is not being coached; they are being supervised.
Train with Gavin
Private training, small groups, camps and clinics, consulting, and Little Lobsters for ages 4–6, at rinks across Greater Portland.