The LA ranks will be demolished; parents, youth hockey is fighting to keep it

For nearly three decades, the LA 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 the ice.

The Panorama City facility will demolish its main rink, leaving athletes who use the facility with a smaller, unmanageable rink. Taking the place of the main rink will be a medical center for the elderly, according to the owner of the Valley Ice Center.

Some parents in the area say that this situation has been very traumatic for them and their children.

“My kids are at the rink four to seven days a week anywhere from 3:30 to 9 p.m.,” said Abbey Wall, a California Heat youth hockey player and parent of two players, ages 8 and 11.

He said: “Practice, games and training, that’s where they grew up.”

The lobby and pro shop – where local youth can buy hockey gear – will also be demolished for work starting June 1.

I Los Angeles Kings have a marketing and partnership agreement with the LA Kings Valley Ice Center, where they run “Little Kings” programs where kids learn to play hockey.

The decision to downsize the facility stems in part from rising costs.

“Running an ice rink is very expensive,” said Scott Floman, owner of Valley Ice Center. He said that the cost of renting the facility has increased as well as the price of the materials used.

Visitors participate in a community skating session on Wednesday at the LA Kings Valley Ice Center.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

But the demolition could mean big changes for the California Heat, one of the largest youth hockey programs in the region.

“The closure of the big ice sheet means we don’t have a home rink,” said Michael Santiago, the club’s president.

The Heat have been based at the Valley Ice Center since the club was founded in 1992. The club has nearly 200 players on 12 teams and a high school program, according to Santiago.

To become a member of the Southern California Amateur Hockey Assn., teams must meet certain rank requirements to be able to host games during the travel season. Legal-sized ice – larger than the rink that will remain after demolition – is required.

“If we cannot meet those requirements, our teams will not be able to compete,” said Santiago. “We will be forced to cut back.”

Rick Scott, 61, practices hockey at the Valley Ice Center. “I’ve been organizing pickup and skating events for years. It’s sad to lose this,” Scott said of the main rink.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

Limited ice space will also limit practices, limit player development, and limit the number of athletes in the program according to Santiago.

Wall, who helps manage team registration and ensure the club meets the league’s requirements as a team registrar, said losing the regulatory rank would make the system unviable.

“Without a place to host games in regulation size, those teams don’t exist,” he said.

According to Wall, finding a new home range is not an easy solution. There are nine ice rinks in Los Angeles County, and he said most are already at capacity.

“A lot of ranks are popping up in the area,” said Wall. “We are talking about 200 players looking for a home, and there is no space.”

But club leaders are looking at other options, including moving to a rink facility under development in Reseda. Floman says the LA opening of a competing center in the Valley area five miles away also factored into the decision to downsize.

Valley Ice Center’s smaller rink will remain open for at least 15 more years, he said, and “everything but our travel program will continue.”

The Valley Ice Center’s main rink will be replaced by a geriatric treatment center, according to the center’s owner.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

The California Heat will still be able to practice at the rink but must find another venue to host games.

“I hope Reseda’s rank can be theirs,” said Floman.

However, many in the community are hopeful that the outcome could change.

A request launched by the California Heat is gaining traction online, drawing attention to the hundreds of players and families affected. Supporters argue that the rink is an important community resource, especially in a region with limited access to snow sports.

“This affects not only the players, but their families, coaches, and everyone connected to the rink,” said Santiago. “We’re just trying to make sure people understand what’s at stake.”

“We were there four or five nights a week,” said Larry Tobin, a parent whose 11-year-old son plays at LA’s Kings Valley Ice Center. “My son made friends there, he looked forward to going there, and he improved a lot.

“My oldest is going into his fourth year with the same coach at this rink,” said Wall. This relationship is important. This is not just a game but…where they feel at home.”

Members of the community also spoke on social media to express their case for rescuing the facility.

“This place is not just snow and wood. This is where I made lifelong friends, met my wife, watched wide-eyed children put on their skirts for the first time, and rejoiced as they grew into strong and confident adults,” he wrote Alexander Dunn, owner and director of hockey at the California Hockey Academy.

As the June 2026 fix date approaches, families are left waiting for answers and hoping that the snow at home won’t disappear forever.