Dallas Stars: The Growth of Youth Hockey in Texas

By Summer LeBel | Jul 26, 2018

FARMERS BRANCH, TX - JUNE 21: Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars watches young hockey players during the Top Prospects Clinic at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter as part of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on June 21, 2018 in Farmers Branch, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Youth hockey is growing in general, but the arrival of the Dallas Stars played a large part in Texas’ increased participation numbers in the sport.

When the Dallas Stars relocated in 1993, it was far from the first time hockey had been played in Texas.

Most notable among the teams in Texas’ hockey history were the Houston Aeros, who played in the WHA for six seasons in the 1970s. There was even a cross-metroplex rivalry between the Dallas Black Hawks and the Fort Worth Texans during the 1960s and 1970s. The Dallas Stars were just suddenly the biggest fish in a somewhat established pond.

Early statistics on the USA Hockey website don’t break things down by state before the arrival of the Stars, but the Rocky Mountain Division as a whole had just 9,809 members during the 1992-93 season. That Division contains the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.

More from Analysis

During the Cup-winning 1998-99 season, there were 5,932 players in Texas. Compare those numbers with the current numbers from 2017-18, in which the state of Texas alone has 15,026 players in USA Hockey and the Rocky Mountain Division has a total of 49,312 between the seven states. The only state in the Division with more players than Texas is Colorado, a state with colder weather and winters full of snow and ice that’s only slightly higher at 15,222.

Texas’ number this year wasn’t a massive jump over last year’s total, which was 14,636, but it shows that the sport is still continuing to grow in the wake of the Dallas Stars’ relocation.

It’s not just the Stars who’ve increased visibility to the sport, as there are other teams in Texas, of course. Both the San Antonio Rampage and the Texas Stars serve large markets. The Houston Aeros were around until the Wild decided to relocate them to fill in the gap left by the Iowa Stars’ relocation to Austin after they couldn’t make a deal with their arena in Houston.

Other teams in the state have helped, but the Dallas Stars have put in a lot of extra work in the metroplex. They’ve bought pre-existing rinks up and renovated them along with adding some of their own to form the chain of Dr. Pepper StarCenters. The StarCenters provide lessons and leagues for kids wanting to play, but they also provide easy access to sheets of ice for people who just want to try out skating and see if they like it.

As part of their work with the StarCenters, the team hosts clinics and camps for kids that often include a visit from a player on the team. They host events like Texas Hockey Day to grow the sport and offer free lessons for people wanting to try either hockey or figure skating.

There are only a few rinks left around the metroplex that aren’t part of the StarCenter chain, including the two sheets in Allen, the NYTEX in North Richland Hills where the Brahmas play, and the ice at both The Parks and The Galleria. Not having a monopoly on DFW rinks keeps the Stars organization motivated to keep improving, and it can only make things better for kids interested in playing.

Next: Way Too Early Opening Night Defense Pairing Predictions

The Dallas Stars working to grow the sport is one of those things where everyone wins. The team gets more potential fans to grow the fanbase, while kids (and adults!) can enjoy a new sport. It’s been working so far, but maybe the Stars need to look at expanding outside of the metroplex into places like Austin to work with the Texas Stars.