JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Hockey Day North Dakota has been announced for next January, marking its first return since the event was last played in 2022. Where it will be played, however, is still to be determined.
Organizer Jeff Romsdal, a Jamestown businessman, has been challenged for the last several years to find a suitable, if not permanent location.
The event is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2027. In the three years it was played, it was held next to John L. Wilson Arena or on the campus of the University of Jamestown.
The January 2024 edition was shelved when Romsdal couldn’t secure a suitable location prior to the event.
Romsdal, the owner of Central Sales, Inc., said one option will be at his newly relocated farm equipment dealership just off Interstate 94 near the new Anne Carlsen Center.
“The good news is I have a location to fall back on,” Romsdal said. “If I find a better location, I’ll use that.”
A crew places advertising banners on the ice Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, at the site of Hockey Day North Dakota on the University of Jamestown campus.
John M. Steiner / The Sun file photo
In the summer of 2024,
Romsdal paid an initial deposit of $10,000
for pre-design and engineering services to construct a rink at McElroy Park.
In announcing a year ahead of the event, Romsdal is hoping to secure sponsorships and possibly a title sponsor. Competing teams have yet to be determined, he said.
In the past, college, high school and youth teams have participated.
“Lining up teams has never been the big deal, the big deal has been everything behind the scenes,” Romsdal said. “It’s all the logistics of getting the rink put up.”
Teams may not be secured until fall once schedules are made, Romsdal added.
Romsdal owns the rink, Zamboni and piping for under the ice that were used for previous Hockey Day North Dakotas. A major piece of rink equipment he rents is a chiller unit. In 2025, the piping he owns was used for Hockey Day Minnesota in Shakopee.
Rob Beer is the sports editor for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He’s been a journalist with Forum Communications since 1991. He can be reached at rbeer@forumcomm.com.