USA Hockey Adult Hockey

Champ Baginski grew up in Kansas. He’ll be the first to admit that there wasn’t a huge hockey culture there. Still, thanks to his parents’ Michigan roots, he was always into the sport, catching games or highlights when he could, and always rooting on the Detroit Red Wings.

 

And growing up a hockey fan in Kansas, the Anaheim Ducks’ fan development manager knows a thing or two about hockey markets outside the snowbelt. Currently in his 11th season with the Ducks, Baginski helps fuel the game’s growth from youth to adults, helping turn California into a hockey hotbed amidst the palm trees and balmy weather.

 

USA Hockey caught up with Baginski to chat about how the Ducks have brought budding hockey stars of all ages on the ice.

 

USA Hockey: As the fan development manager with the Ducks, does your role cater to a large demographic?

 

Champ Baginski: Exactly. I have programs for kids starting at age 4 all the way up to our adult hockey tournament where there are guys that are 70 – and everywhere in between. We have the high school hockey league; we’ve done stuff with college players in the past. We hit almost every single age group.

 

USA Hockey: What are some of those initiatives you’ve implemented specifically for adult hockey?

 

Baginski: We have two big things. About two years ago we started a learn-to-play program for adults. We were so successful at the kids’ age that the thought process was, well, it’s not just kids that want to get into the sport. There are plenty of southern California residents who have watched the sport their whole lives and really haven’t had an avenue to play. So, let’s start an adult hockey program for them. It’s been wildly successful. It’s sold out every single month that we’ve hosted it and there’s even a wait list. It’s been incredible successful for us.

 

The other initiative is the adult hockey tournament called the Throw-Back Classic which we host in February every year. That tournament started six years ago with four teams and now, this year, we’re about to have 90 teams, making it the largest 5-on-5 ice hockey tournament in the entire country. By that alone, the sheer volume of adult hockey players out here is incredible. It’s really a diamond in the rough that people don’t know about.

 

USA Hockey: To what do you attribute the success of hockey in SoCal?

 

Baginski: There are several factors. First of all, Wayne Gretzky going to the Kings was absolutely huge for southern California hockey. That, coupled with the Ducks success, and to some degree, the Kings success in the past decade has really made it a priority on the news and in the newspaper. People are constantly being exposed to it.

 

In the same regard, I really feel that our grassroots programming and marketing has generated an interest from a lot people, along with getting people to the next step of playing and making them more knowledgeable about the sport.

 

USA Hockey: So the Ducks have really made it a priority to focus on fostering a strong hockey presence in California?

 

Baginski: Yes. It starts from a very young age, getting them to learn how to play all the way up to adulthood. I know our upper management is huge on our grassroots program. So is the NHL. The NHL has backed us with some money to go out and do some grassroots programming. We would be nowhere without those two. It’s just a huge emphasis from the entire organization on starting at a young age, working up and not leaving out any ages.

 

USA Hockey: Is the tournament open to all levels of play or do you need a few seasons on your skates first?

 

Baginski: That’s a great question. It is open to all levels. We have eight different divisions. We have a beginner level where we have a requirement that you have to have less than two years of experience, all the way up to that top division which features former pros and a bunch of ex-NHL guys. We also have a division everywhere in between. It has taken us a long time to get to this point. In Year 1 we only had one division. But I finally feel like we’re at a year where we can hit almost every level and feature something for everybody.

 

USA Hockey: Do you ever take a moment to step back and are just in awe of how quickly it’s grown?

 

Baginski: Absolutely. Six years ago, we really hadn’t done a whole lot with adult hockey and I didn’t really know what kind of scene we had out here. To fast-forward six years and we are almost at 100 teams – this year there’s something like 1,350 participants – I would have never expected it in my wildest dreams. I never would have thought we would be where we are right now. It’s a tribute to the hockey scene out here. Not just here though, the tournament features teams from 13 different states. Arizona specifically sends a ton of teams.

 

Long story short, no, I never expected to be where we are right now.

 

USA Hockey: So it’s safe to say that southern California is a hockey hotbed now.

 

Baginski: Yeah, the coolest thing to me is that we have a 100 percent retention rate with the tournament. Literally every year we have every team from the past year sign up and additional teams on top of that. We have so many of our players in the tournament begging us to do a second tournament. It’s just a great feeling because I never thought we’d get to 10 teams let alo