Youth hockey in Bend has grown up under a real constraint: no year-round ice. Families have driven to Portland, Eugene, and beyond for regular practice, and local kids who love the game have made the sport work through summer camps, seasonal sheets, and long weekend commutes. That changes with the Forge Community Iceplex. Two NHL-regulation sheets, open 365 days a year, will give young skaters in Bend, Redmond, and Prineville a home for consistent practice, steady development, and season-long play. Whether your kid is lacing up for the first time or already skating with the Bend Rapids, the Forge is being built to grow with them.

What Youth Hockey Will Look Like at The Forge

Our youth hockey program is being built as a USA Hockey-registered pathway, structured to support skaters at every age and skill level. It starts with introductory learn-to-play sessions for the youngest first-time skaters, moves through a tiered development ladder, and continues into competitive teams for older kids. Two sheets of ice change the math for scheduling. Practices can run alongside adult leagues, public skate hours, and figure skating instead of competing for one limited window. Coaches gain consistent planning time. Families gain a real weekly rhythm around the sport, close to home.

A Development Path From First Skate Through the Teen Years

Kids hockey works best as a long arc. Three or four practices a week across an eight-month season is how young players build stride, puck control, and hockey sense. That kind of consistency has been out of reach for most Central Oregon families. The Forge will support that arc with tiered programming that meets kids where they are. Early skaters focus on balance, stride, and puck feel through age-appropriate small-area games. Mite and squirt-age players get age-graded practices where technical work matches physical readiness. As players move into peewee, bantam, and midget-level play, our programs add structure around teamwork, systems, and game situations.

Youth sports work best when programs are designed around long-term development and character, giving kids a place to grow as athletes and as people. Consistent local ice makes that kind of measured pathway possible for the first time in Central Oregon.

Girls Hockey, Built In From the Start

Girls hockey grows fastest when it is a full part of the program from day one. The Forge has pathways for girls at every level, from learn-to-play through competitive play. That means dedicated teams, practice time, and locker room culture that reflects the whole community skating here. Mixed programming will continue where families want it, and girls-only environments will run alongside. When girls in Central Oregon can see other girls on the ice at every age, more kids stay in the sport longer, and the whole pipeline gets stronger.

What Consistent Local Ice Means for Central Oregon Families

Ask any hockey family in Bend or Redmond what they want, and consistent ice tops the list. Real development needs repetition. A skater who gets on the ice three or four times a week for eight months develops differently than one who catches three practices around travel schedules and rink availability. The Forge changes that math for kids hockey across Central Oregon. Practices happen locally. Games happen locally. Tournaments come to Bend rather than always requiring Bend families to travel.

Consistent local ice also lowers the practical cost of participation over time. Every hour saved on the road is an hour a family gets back. Every mile off the highway is fuel saved. For working parents juggling multiple kids, that changes what youth hockey actually costs.

The Bend Rapids and the Community That Built the Game

The Bend Rapids represent years of grit from local families who have kept the sport alive without a home rink. Coaches have traveled. Volunteers have organized. Parents have driven late nights across the Cascades to make practices happen. The Forge supports and extends that community, giving Bend Rapids and every rising skater a place to grow the game close to home. Our facility will bring consistent ice for coaches to plan around, predictable schedules for families, and a real front door for every kid in Central Oregon who wants to try the sport.

A Home for Every Skater in Central Oregon

Youth hockey in Bend is entering a new chapter, and we’re building The Forge to meet every family that wants in. From long-time hockey households to first-timers just curious about the sport, the doors will be open. Follow our updates as construction moves toward opening, and join us in bringing year-round youth hockey to Central Oregon.