An academy built the hard way — one student, one standard, one day at a time.
Before TPH St. Louis existed, its founder lived the exact life our students live. Philip McRae grew up in St. Louis youth hockey with the AAA Blues, was selected to the U.S. National Team Development Program, went first-round to the OHL's London Knights, won World Junior gold with Team USA, and was drafted 33rd overall by the St. Louis Blues — going on to play in the NHL for his hometown team across a ten-year professional career.
He also lived the hard part: the missed school, the academic scramble around travel schedules, the pressure young athletes carry with nobody checking on how they're really doing. When his playing career ended, he came home with one conviction — St. Louis families shouldn't have to choose between a serious education and serious development.
In 2020, inside the Centene Community Ice Center, TPH St. Louis opened its doors to roughly 30 student-athletes. No shortcuts, no promises of stardom — just structure, mentorship, real teachers, and a standard.
Every year, better than the last.
TPH St. Louis launches at the Centene Community Ice Center with roughly 30 student-athletes and a small staff wearing many hats — the inaugural class that built the foundation.
Enrollment more than doubles as families across St. Louis discover the model. The first waves of alumni advance to junior hockey and college commitments.
The Hockey Academy reaches full capacity — 200+ paid applications competing for limited places. Selective by design: the academy builds for fit, not volume.
The TPH St. Louis Soccer Academy opens at World Wide Technology Soccer Park under Director Christie Stichling — bringing the same academics, structure, and standards to a second sport and a second campus. 130 student-athletes across both academies.
Lease extended through 2032 at CCIC, with 2,100+ additional square feet becoming the academy's new headquarters — five academic rooms, 16 hours of weekly ice, and a commitment measured in years, not seasons.
What separates TPH St. Louis is not athletic advancement — it's the environment created for students every single day. Structure. Mentorship. Academic accountability. Communication with families. When those are executed consistently, development follows on its own.
Our goal is simple and unapologetic: to be the highest-quality, most structured, non-boarding, non-team-connected academy experience in the country — a place students are excited to walk into every morning, and leave better people, better students, and better athletes.