Columbus becoming a hockey 'hotbed' in the Midwest

The past week in Columbus couldn't have been much better for hockey fans.
There were more big games available to watch during a jam-packed weekend than you could shake a hockey stick at, from back-to-back Blue Jackets home games to the Ohio High School Athletic Association's state championship to a Big Ten semifinal between Ohio State and Michigan on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena.
If that wasn't enough, the American Collegiate Hockey Association began its club hockey championships this past weekend, which are being held at the Chiller ice rinks and OhioHealth Ice Haus at Nationwide Arena. More than 75 teams from across the country are in town for those tournaments, which include ACHA men's and women's divisions plus the NAIA championship.
"Our city sets up really well for these types of events," said J.D. Kershaw, Blue Jackets vice president of marketing. "If you were a hardcore hockey fan, you could've come down here Friday morning, caught two semifinal games in the state high school championship and then caught an NHL game at night. Then, you could've watched the high school championship game [Saturday], the Buckeyes vs Michigan at night and then some of the ACHA championships [Sunday]. And you didn't have to go anywhere. It's all right here."

It's indicative of how popular the sport has become in Central Ohio.
Football is still immensely popular, led by the Buckeyes, but hockey is steadily growing. More kids are getting involved, many through the Blue Jackets and NHL's Learn to Play program, and adult participation in recreational leagues is high.
There's a reason the
Chiller North announced plans
recently to add a third sheet at that facility, and that reason is simply demand.
"It's something we're always keeping an eye on and trying to be responsible about, not expanding too quickly, but also making sure that we're keeping up with the demand," said Jeremy Rogers, assistant general manager of the Chiller rinks. "Between the Blue Jackets and us, that's what we're doing. We're trying to grow the sport, so we've got to make sure, as we're growing it, that we've got places for people to go and enjoy it and participate."
How far has hockey come the past two decades?
Look no further than this past weekend for the answer, with all the hockey played locally - from the NHL to high schools.
"As a staff, we're kind of pinching ourselves," Rogers said. "Who says Columbus isn't a hockey town? The next [seven] days, we've got 70-plus college club teams here from all over the country, teams from Nevada, Oklahoma, Georgia - places you wouldn't think even have hockey - and they're all coming to Columbus. And then downtown, we [had] the high school playoffs going on this weekend, we had the Buckeyes and Michigan, we had the Jackets … it's crazy. I feel like we're becoming kind of a Midwest hotbed for hockey."
Need even more evidence?
Take a glance around the NHL, where former local players are now popping up on rosters across the league.
Jack Roslovic is a rookie forward playing on the third line with the Winnipeg Jets, who are second in the Central Division. Connor Murphy is a defenseman with the Chicago Blackhawks and was the captain of the U.S. national team that played in the IIHF's men's world championship last Spring. Sean Kuraly is centering the fourth line for the Boston Bruins, who are second in the Atlantic Division.
"You're turning on NHL games now and you're seeing the names of kids who grew up in Columbus, started in one of the Junior Jackets learn-to-play programs, made their way up through house and travel, and eventually the Blue Jackets AAA program," Rogers said. "They're also putting kids into Division-I college programs left and right. We used to dream about that here. We'd talk about, 'That's our goal. Someday, we'll have a kid grow up here and make the bigtime, college or pro,' and it's happened and is continuing to happen. It's pretty unreal when you think about it."
Also impressive is how far the AAA Blue Jackets program has come. Kershaw recalls how it was starting out, when they were taken lightly by more tenured programs in the Midwest. It's a different game now.
"If you wanted to play some of the big boys, like in Detroit, the Compuwares or the Little Caesar's, teams like that, you had to go there," Kershaw said. "They wouldn't come here. Well, now they come here. And not only do they come here, but they come here and we can compete. They're good games. We win just as much as we lose. So, it's grown that way too."
It's grown at the high school level too. All it takes to see that is a stroll through the main concourse inside Nationwide Arena, where a flock of high school jerseys from teams across the state are proudly displayed.
The Blue Jackets and OHSAA also announced a new 10-year agreement last week that will keep the state championship games in Columbus, played on the main ice at Nationwide Arena. It's just another sign that the Blue Jackets' goal cannon isn't the only thing booming in Columbus.
Hockey is too.
"We know how lucky we are, because I talk to people from around Ohio and around the Midwest, youth coaches and other coaches, and some of those areas are really struggling to keep interest in the sport," Rogers said. "Here it's just the opposite."