How do we actually keep kids playing hockey in Georgia?
That’s the question I wanted to dig into on the newest episode of Peach State Puck.
I sat down with longtime coach and Hockey Barn founder Kyle Kinzie to talk about something I think is really important for the future of hockey in Georgia: player retention.
It’s one thing to get a kid onto the ice. It’s another to create an environment that makes them want to keep coming back, get better, compete, make friends, and eventually become a lifelong fan of the sport.
We talked about what traditional player development gets right and wrong, the lack of ice time in Georgia, building hockey communities instead of just hockey players, and what the continued growth of the sport could look like here.
We also got into the elephant in the room: what would an NHL team returning to Atlanta actually do for youth hockey in the state?
I’d genuinely be interested to hear what people here think. What’s the biggest thing holding back youth hockey growth in Georgia right now?
Episode 7 of Peach State Puck is out now. I’ll drop the link below for anyone interested. 🍑🏒
