A few years ago, Parkite Aaron Dufford showed his love for hockey, playing at Weber State University and in the World University Games. These days, he is hoping to bring some of that love back home.
This fall, Dufford, along with friends David Imonti and Mike Adamek, will introduce the Park City Pioneers, a new semi-professional hockey team that will call the Park City Ice Arena and the Park City community home.
The idea started when Dufford and Imonti wanted a to form a resort-town league with hockey teams from places like Sun Valley, Idaho, Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Aspen, Colo. Then it dawned on them that it might be better to start from the ground up — first establishing a team in their own mountain town, then trying to build a league in the years to come.
The team will be made up of “semi-pro” players, ranging from star collegiate players to men who have spent time in AA hockey organizations. Although the roster is still being built, the players either already reside in Park City or plan to move into the area soon. Imonti, who is also a hockey agent, has tapped into his list of contacts, drawing on domestic and international players who have retired or moved on but are looking to still play a little competitive puck.
“Its high-caliber, full-contact hockey,” Imonti said.
Given the economic times, the Pioneers aren’t looking to become a booming business. Instead, games will be played on Friday nights at reasonable prices and billed as a community-building endeavor. All of the players will have 9-to-5 jobs and will practice, play and travel in their off hours.
This year, the Pioneers will play an independent schedule, going up against teams from Sun Valley and McCall, Idaho, Jackson Hole, and other teams in Utah.
According to Park City Ice Arena marketing and events coordinator Jason Glidden, the team is scheduled to play 15 home games and around 25 games in total for the season. Glidden feels that the team will add a new dimension to hockey in the area and give aspiring hockey players a little inspiration.
“It’s a great opportunity for youth to see that level of hockey,” he said.
Imonti, who has played in college and on semi-pro teams at home and abroad, said that the team is very interested in getting the community involved. They hope to work in conjunction with the Park City youth hockey league as well as other ice sports housed at the rink and bring more attention to them. They also want to give the town a family-friendly weekend activity that is inexpensive and enjoyable. They plan on having entertainment between periods and serving concessions at reasonable prices. Imonti figures a family of four will be able to come to games and enjoy some refreshments for about $50.
“We wanted to establish a team that gives people something to cheer about,” Dufford said. “It will be great.”
Dufford and Imonti said that they picked Park City not only because it was Dufford’s home town, but because it is still a relatively small, self-contained community that wouldn’t compete with Salt Lake sports, namely hockey.
“It’s just far enough away,” Imonti said.
They hope that the team will be here for years to come and be a part of Park City’s makeup.
“We want to be a presence,” Imonti added, ” a lasting tradition.”
“We really want to establish a community team,” Dufford added. “We don’t want to be our own entity.”
Imonti will handle the operations for the team, while Dufford, who has plenty of local contacts, will be in charge of business development. Adamek, who played in the Eastern Conference Hockey League (same league as the Utah Grizzlies), will serve as a player/coach.
The Pioneers will host a tryout in late spring to see if other ex-pro and college players will come out of the woodwork.
For more information on the team, including tryouts, tickets, roster news and schedules in the coming months, visit www.pcpioneershockey.com .