Ryan Smith, the chairman of Smith Entertainment Group, announced via X on Friday that he plans to construct more hockey rinks across Utah — specifically, one in every municipality.
The post was in response to a call to action from @attackedbypanda, who tagged Smith in a post requesting more rinks to be built in Davis and Weber counties. He said he tried to take his child skating, but his normal rinks were either full or closed that day and he couldn’t find anywhere else to go.
In Smith’s response, he mentioned that this will be a summer project for his group. He said that Utah has the youngest demographics in the United States and that it’s the fastest-growing state. He envisions Utah’s youth hockey programs being on the same level as the Junior Jazz, which has about 70,000 children registered.
SEG has already announced that the new Utah HC practice facility in Sandy will be available for public use once the doors open.
What is SEG doing to implement youth hockey?
SEG and the Utah Hockey Club have a number of programs to get kids involved in hockey. The most notable is the “Learn to Play” program, which provides children with hockey equipment and teaches them the fundamentals of hockey.
The group also announced earlier in the season that it would donate hockey equipment to schools and help institute the sport into the PE curriculum.
That’s in addition to a number of initiatives designed to get kids to NHL games, which lets them experience the pace and the atmosphere firsthand.
“Utah Hockey Club is committed to making hockey accessible to as many kids and families as possible,” said Utah HC president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong in an October press release. “Our youth programs focus on helping kids to learn the game and cultivating a passion for the sport in neighborhoods and communities throughout the state.”
Hockey is trending
Several reports surfaced during the NHL Board of Governors' meetings this week that the NHL is strongly considering expansion again, with the possibility of adding four new teams in the near future. But here’s the kicker: The expansion fee will be through the roof.
When the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league in 2017, the fee was $500 million. Four years later, the Seattle Kraken came in at $650 million. Since then, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes have each been sold with valuations at or near $1 billion.
The next fee is projected to be between $1.5 and $2 billion.
That’s an indication of the growth hockey is seeing — especially in the U.S. Some criticize the NHL for not marketing its stars the way the NBA and the NFL do, but events like the 4 Nations Face-Off and the upcoming Olympics are probably better for the growth of the sport than any marketing campaign.
