Kids in San Antonio typically don’t grow up playing hockey.
However, Chris Hill, vice president of San Antonio Youth Hockey, is doing his part to let kids know that the sport is an option for them.
One of the ways San Antonio Youth Hockey is introducing kids to the game is by hosting Try Hockey for Free events like the one held Nov. 2 at the Ice and Golf Center.
When kids join the program, Hill emphasizes teaching them the fundamentals of the sport.
“It’s all about player development and not the stats,” Hill said. “We’re doing our job. We’re developing good, quality kids who play the game the right way. We do it in a fun, positive environment.”
A Try Hockey for Free event is designed to provide kids ages 4 to 9 — with any or no hockey experience — the opportunity to try hockey in a fun, safe environment at no cost with a trained coaching staff.
Hill had 120 kids — 90 boys and 30 girls — registered from 80 unique families for this past weekend’s Try Hockey For Free, presented by Discover, event. He noted that about 25 to 30% of current players in the program came from previous Try Hockey for Free events.
Hill estimated a 43% increase from last year’s event, which featured 87 children, and added that there were several who registered as walk-ins following a public skate session before the event, pushing the grand total to 130 kids, by far the highest participation he’s seen at one of his organization’s Try Hockey For Free events before.
San Antonio doesn’t have a professional hockey team. The city used to host the San Antonio Rampage, an AHL organization. In 2020, the Vegas Golden Knights bought the team and relocated it to Henderson, Nevada.
The closest professional team to the city is the Texas Stars, an AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars based in Austin, Texas, about a 90-minute drive from San Antonio.
San Antonio Youth Hockey is thriving regardless.
“There are people in San Antonio who don’t know we have hockey here, especially since the Rampage moved to Henderson,” Hill said. “Really, what [Try Hockey for Free] does is that it spreads the word that we have hockey in San Antonio, and we have some really good players here.”
During the recent Try Hockey for Free event, coaches split the ice into three sections. One section is for kids who have never played before. The second is for ones who might have attended a public skate session or two. Then the third section is for kids who can skate and move freely.
“We give them a stick and a puck and walk them through what it’s like,” Hill said. “Then some of our older travel kids work with them on things like hand placement and stickhandling.”
Hill added that the group also conducted drills, relay races and other fun, on-ice activities in a hockey environment.
“You have parents glued to the ice, just smiling and taking pictures,” Hill said. “We just let the kids step on the ice and get a feel for what the game is like.”
When the kids exit the ice, Hill seeks immediate feedback. There are organizations with tables set up in the lobby, in addition to information about the in-house and travel programs and the rink itself. There’s a voucher for the rink’s learn-to-stake program at a steep discount and participants also get a chance to watch a 10U game later in the day.
Hill said being able to watch that game gives kids an idea of what it would be like if they join the program. He emphasizes moving the puck and playing a team game, which is what the kids would spend the most time on in training if they stick with the program.
Hill understands his organization can be a feeder system to travel groups like the Dallas Stars Elite Hockey Club and others across Texas. But the San Antonio Youth Hockey organization features multiple coaches who played professionally, and they offer all the tools to develop players properly, as long as they know the sport is an option for them.
“We have great athletes in Texas,” Hill said. “We want to introduce them to a very unique sport, and what [Try Hockey for Free] does is it puts hockey on the map here in Texas.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc
