By Rana Jones, Gazette Reporter
Kemmerer’s long-awaited youth hockey program is officially moving forward after months of fundraising, grant writing and steady community effort. With new equipment, a new rink, and registration now open, families in Kemmerer and Diamondville will have access to a sport that hasn’t been available locally in years.
The city purchased $9,000 worth of hockey equipment earlier this year, covering about half the gear needed to launch the program. Additional help came when the Lincoln County Recreation Commission awarded the City of Kemmerer just over $13,000, which Kemmerer Recreation Board member Adam Calkins said was used to purchase a new hockey rink.
“It has arrived and will be installed here, hopefully in the next couple weeks, once the pond freezes solid enough,” said Calkins.
The rink — now stored on pallets at the Kemmerer Golf Course — features regulation four-foot boards and will measure 30 by 60 feet, a significant improvement over the makeshift surfaces used in previous years.
“It’s an actual hockey rink with real hockey boards,” Calkins said. The city has also moved bleachers near the pond in preparation for the season.
To finish equipping all players, the program recently wrapped up a community raffle for two halves of a locally-sourced pig.
“We were able to raise enough money through that fundraiser to purchase all the rest of the equipment that we need to have a hockey program this year,” Calkins said.
The pig itself was donated by Aaron Laverty of Dream Custom Interiors, with numerous local businesses and residents contributing additional small-dollar donations.
With the program beginning this season, sign-ups are currently open through Jan. 2 at the rec center, and the league plans to run for about six weeks through mid-February. The club will offer two age groups: second- and third-graders, along with fourth- and sixth-graders, playing three-on-three, non-contact hockey.
To keep the sport accessible, participation is set at $60, the same fee that the recreation center charges for most of its other sports. The league provides all equipment except a hockey stick.
“We want this to be accessible to anyone that wants to play, which is why we have worked so hard to provide all of the required equipment for players,” Calkins said. “A lot of the people that I know have already signed up couldn’t afford to play if they had to go purchase their own equipment.”
Calkins said hockey can be prohibitively expensive in other communities.
“With a lot of these bigger programs, I mean it’s five, six hundred dollars to play in Rock Springs … plus you have four or five hundred dollars’ worth of equipment costs on top of that.”
With community excitement for a growing hockey culture, the return of hockey has been met with enthusiasm from former players and families in town.
“A lot of the former players I’ve talked to are really excited to see hockey come back to Kemmerer,” Calkins said. “It’s a sign of growth and it’s helping to take advantage of new opportunities.”
He said hockey’s regional popularity has surged since the arrival of the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City, and interest is beginning to spill across state lines. It appears Kemmerer families are ready for it — Calkins said he has been contacted by parents stating, “We see that hockey’s happening. My kid’s interested. Can you tell me more?”
Calkins credited several parents and volunteers — including Nathan Fox, Tamera and Kyle Thompson, Tim Sherwin and Kodi Seamons — for helping the effort survive multiple hurdles, from funding to locating a suitable playing surface.
Calkins said last winter’s plan to create a rink at Archie Neal Park did not work as well as they had hoped.
“We learned a lot from that effort, and we will have an improved ice rink this year,” he said adding that the new golf-course pond gives the program a solid foundation.
Diamondville’s outdoor rink is also expected to open soon, offering additional surface for free ice skating.
Calkins grew up playing recreational hockey and he said the vision for rebuilding Kemmerer’s program emerged after his family relocated from Lander, where his children had been involved in youth hockey. Once in Kemmerer, they were eager to keep playing.
He first approached the city in fall 2024.
“It’s been a tough road to get here,” he said. “We’ve had to fundraise. There’s been challenges with funding, deciding where the rink would go — lots of little hiccups bringing it to Kemmerer.”
Calkins gave credit to city officials, including Kemmerer City Administrator Brian Muir, Mayor Robert Bowen, Kemmerer Recreation Manager Lois Hicks and Golf and Parks Director John Tibbetts for their help and support. “Without the help and support from the city, we would not be in this position today” Calkins said.
Still, the group persisted — and the timing may be perfect. Focusing on younger kids, he explained, allows the town to “start growing a base of hockey players,” with hopes of eventually expanding the program to older age groups.
Calkins’ two children — Beth, a sixth grader, and Graham, a third grader — will each play in the league this season.
The program currently has three volunteer coaches and is seeking a fourth. Calkins said, though it’s not official yet, the Utah Mammoth and the Wyoming Amateur Hockey Association may be coming to town and putting on two different coaches’ and players’ clinics this winter.
“If we are able to have these clinics, it will only help the players improve and make our program even stronger,” he said.
With a skating season ahead, all practices and most games will be held in the evenings under lights at the golf course pond. The league also plans one Saturday event open to the broader public, complete with an announcer.
With the rink delivered, bleachers in place, and a community eager to get on the ice, all that’s left is for the pond to fully freeze.
“We’re excited that it’s here,” Calkins said. “If we can get a program established this year, I know it will grow next year. It will only continue to grow.”