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<\/p>\nFor nearly three decades, the L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center has served as a second home for hundreds of young hockey players in the San Fernando Valley. Now, that future is on shaky ice.<\/p>\n
The Panorama City facility is set to demolish its main ice rink, leaving athletes who use the center with a smaller, non-regulation rink. Taking the place of the main rink will be a medical facility for seniors, according to the Valley Ice Center\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n
Some local parents say the situation has been heart-wrenching for them and their children.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kids are at the rink four to seven days a week anywhere from 3:30 to 9 o\u2019clock,\u201d said Abbey Wall, the registrar for the youth hockey team California Heat and a parent of two players, ages 8 and 11. <\/p>\n
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Two players with the California Heat youth hockey team practice at the Panorama City facility.<\/p>\n
(California Heat)<\/p>\n
\u201cPractices, games, training,\u201d she said, \u201cit\u2019s where they\u2019ve grown up. It\u2019s their community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The facility\u2019s lobby and pro shop \u2014 where local youth are able to buy hockey gear \u2014 also would be demolished in work that is set to begin June 1.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Kings<\/a> have a branding and partnership agreement with the L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center, where they run \u201cLittle Kings\u201d programs where children learn to play hockey. <\/p>\n The decision to reduce the facility\u2019s size stems in part from rising costs.<\/p>\n \u201cRunning an ice rink is very costly,\u201d said Scott Floman, owner of the Valley Ice Center. He said the cost of leasing the facility had soared, as has the price of utilities.<\/p>\n Visitors take part in a public skating session Wednesday at the L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center.<\/p>\n (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n But the demolition would mean big changes for the California Heat, one of the region\u2019s largest youth hockey programs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe closure of the main sheet of ice means we don\u2019t have a home rink,\u201d said Michael Santiago, club president. <\/p>\n The Heat has been based at the Valley Ice Center since the club was founded in 1992. The club has nearly 200 players across 12 teams and a high school program, according to Santiago.<\/p>\n To be a part of the Southern California Amateur Hockey Assn., teams have to meet certain rink requirements to be able to host games during the travel season. Regulation-size ice \u2014 larger than the rink that would remain after demolition \u2014 is a must.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can\u2019t meet those requirements, our teams can\u2019t compete,\u201d Santiago said. \u201cWe would be forced to downsize.\u201d <\/p>\n Rick Scott, 61, practices hockey at the Valley Ice Center. \u201cI\u2019ve been organizing skates and pickup games for many years. It\u2019s devastating to lose this,\u201d Scott said of the main rink.<\/p>\n (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Limited ice space would also restrict practices, reduce player development, and cap the number of athletes in the program according to Santiago. <\/p>\n Wall, who helps manage team registrations and ensures the club meets league requirements as the club\u2019s registrar, said the loss of a regulation rink could make it impossible for the program to operate.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a place to host games on regulation size ice, those teams don\u2019t exist,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n According to Wall, finding a new home rink is not a simple solution. There are nine ice rinks in Los Angeles County, and she said most are already at capacity.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of these rinks are bursting at the seams,\u201d Wall said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about 200 players looking for a home, and there just isn\u2019t space.\u201d<\/p>\n But club leaders are exploring alternatives, including a potential move to a rink center currently under development in Reseda. Floman says L.A.\u2019s planned opening of a competing facility in the Valley neighborhood just five miles away also factored into the decision to downsize the center.<\/p>\n The Valley Ice Center\u2019s smaller rink will remain open for at least 15 more years, he said, and \u201ceverything except for our travel program will continue.\u201d <\/p>\n The main rink of the Valley Ice Center is set to be replaced by a medical facility for seniors, according to the center\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n The California Heat will still be able to practice at the rink but must find another venue to host games.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping the Reseda rink can be that for them,\u201d Floman said.<\/p>\n Still, many in the community are hoping the outcome can change.<\/p>\n![\"Visitors](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775130804_561_.jpeg\")
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