USA Hockey Magazine

The number of boys, girls, men and women who have embraced the game are telling of that success as well. In the short span of time since the first NHL puck dropped on the desert, USA Hockey registration numbers show that Nevada player participation has grown by more than 260%, while the female ranks have swelled by 571%. At the City National Arena, the team's two-sheet practice facility in nearby Summerlin, ice time is more in demand than a spot at a craps table on a Saturday night. "We're busy from 4 in the morning until midnight; it doesn't stop," said Sheri Hudspeth, the Golden Knights director of youth hockey programs and fan development. "We're using all the ice time and every inch, every hour of ice we can here. So, definitely having more facilities would help, and that's where we're looking to expand." The interest has even spilled over to outside parks and recreation centers where the Golden Knights have created ball hockey clinics and leagues to satisfy the growing puck passion. While winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup has peaked local interest even more, Darren Eliot, who oversees the organization's hockey program- ming and facility operations, said it remains business as usual following the organization's original blueprint for success. "We want to keep moving down the proper path. I don't think there's anything like we're trying to capitalize on it," said Eliot, who was lured to the desert after a number of years in Detroit where he worked for Little Caesars Amateur Hockey Program and also served as a representative to USA Hockey and the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association. Las Vegas 22 // JULY 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM V I D E O A Shot At The Knight – The 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights PHOTOS BY Getty Images; Vegas Golden Knights 260% Hockey participation has grown by more than 260% since the Golden Knights came to town.

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