PROVO, Utah — Ever since the NHL moved to Utah, the support from the community has been on full display — and the Mammoth's reach goes beyond people piling into the Delta Center and jersey sales, as more and more kids in the state have wanted to start playing hockey.
Even the young players have seen the growth and have been a part of it.
"My first time ice skating, I was kind of more of a natural, and my cousin told me I should get into hockey," said one youngster at Peaks Ice Arena in Provo. "And I wasn't really sure, but then when the Mammoth moved here, it kind of set that off, and I decided I wanted to play."
"We have this small street hockey club, and like, at first, it was just two families. We went and played on the street, and now it's like several families," another said.
"Yeah, I was really excited for them to come because I knew more people were going to get into hockey, and more just hockey all around Utah," added another.
Paul Schultz has been coaching youth hockey for two years and says the excitement around the sport for young players is noticeable.
"There's a ton more kids. We're seeing numbers on the teams grow," he said. "We're sharing the ice for practice. I'm coming from Saratoga Springs, we have kids coming from Eagle Mountain, all the way down to Spanish Fork, so there's definitely a lot of interest. Kids are coming far to play."
Living in the same city as the NHL stars they look up to has given the kids a tangible sense of what they can aspire to.
"I think it's really cool because then we have more inspiration and more people will start wanting to come play," one of the youth players said.
And they all have a favorite player:
"Spicy Tuna."
"Nick Schmaltz or Cooley."
"Schmaltz."
"Clayton Keller, and I have his gloves on right now."
If you know someone who is making a difference in Utah's hockey community, you can nominate them HERE.
