Hockey across the Tampa Bay Area, and the state of Florida as a whole, has seen exponential growth in the past decade at all levels of the game. The state of Florida is approaching 10,000 registered youth hockey players, ranking first overall in the Southeast District and 11th in the country. With contributions from the Lightning and community partners, the Bay Area has seen a 70 percent increase in new USA Hockey ice hockey registrations since the 2016-17 season.
The Bolts’ Learn to Play program has introduced more than 6,000 new players to ice hockey since 2016. Operated by the team, the Lightning High School Hockey League boasts 778 registered players across 21 varsity and junior varsity teams, up 77 percent since the 2016-17 season. The Lightning Female Hockey Program has exploded, working with more than 1,000 females annually. The Lightning also provide Disabled Hockey programming and teams for all ages and disabilities to ensure everyone can play the game. Overall, on-ice training hours for children aged 5-18 is up 183 percent since 2016, with over 2,000 Lightning-operated training hours each year.
Off the ice, the Lightning’s Community & Hockey Development team has distributed more than 240,000 street hockey sticks and balls to over 1,120 schools, with 65 percent of those qualifying as Title 1, since 2015. The team has constructed 10 outdoor ball hockey rinks in a five-county area. The Community & Hockey Development’s home base, the Lightning Made Training Center, plays host to 2,500 families of all ages in varying ball hockey and off-ice programming each year. They also host numerous ball hockey tournaments, leagues, and clinics throughout Central Florida.
