Los Angeles area adult hockey?

[doak]

Hey all.. Apologies if this is a duplicate thread or if it should go in one of the CA team forums, but I couldn't anything in the search.

Does anyone here play adult hockey in LA - if so can they recommend any leagues?

I may be moving to LA from NYC this summer and need a place to play. I will most likely be living the Santa Monica area.

Thanks!

Click to read more...

 

[Thepandamancan]

I'm assuming you're looking for an ice league? The Toyota Sports Center is probably your best bet. It's where the Kings practice.

There are some other places in the valley, but it's a bit of a drive from Santa Monica. There's pickwick in Burbank and valley ice in Van Nuys...both aren't that great, but you'll get something out of either. There's also a place out in Simi Valley that I hear is nice, but that would be at least an hour's drive...assuming there's no traffic.

If you're looking for roller, Burbank Roller Hockey is always looking for good players.

 

[Moses Doughty]

I'm assuming you're looking for an ice league? The Toyota Sports Center is probably your best bet. It's where the Kings practice.

There are some other places in the valley, but it's a bit of a drive from Santa Monica. There's pickwick in Burbank and valley ice in Van Nuys...both aren't that great, but you'll get something out of either. There's also a place out in Simi Valley that I hear is nice, but that would be at least an hour's drive...assuming there's no traffic.

If you're looking for roller, Burbank Roller Hockey is always looking for good players.

. Sorry but Simi is crap tbh. Cold as heck and bad ice. Better rinks closer to SM tbh

Glacial Gardens Lakewood is nice, so is TSC as suggested already

 

[kingscourt26]

. Sorry but Simi is crap tbh. Cold as heck and bad ice. Better rinks closer to SM tbh

Glacial Gardens Lakewood is nice, so is TSC as suggested already

I play in Simi and the ice is pretty crap. I have to say though, the people I've met out there has kept me there for the past 5 years. I think the nicest place in the area would be Ice Station in Valencia but that would be quite a trek from Santa Monica.

PM me when you're out here and we can do some pick up games and you can judge what you like.

 

[doak]

Cheers- thanks for the info. And yeah, I am looking for ice. Although, I haven't played roller in years, it could be fun too. Just depends on how much free time I end up having, ice is the priority. I'll check into all of those options...

 

[doak]

. Sorry but Simi is crap tbh. Cold as heck and bad ice. Better rinks closer to SM tbh

Glacial Gardens Lakewood is nice, so is TSC as suggested already

Hey do TSC & Lakewood offer different skill level divisions? It wasn't really clear from their sites.

 

[dabeechman]

TSC and Valley Ice are where I play. I have played at most of the LA rinks and TSC is by far the nicest and most professional.

They have quite a few different skill levels, but they are all extremely good players. Some of the Bronze B teams for example could skate circles around a level 4 team at Valley Ice.

 

[The Tikkanen]

I play at Lakewood and they have a pretty wide selection when it comes to leagues. I think they're at 8 different divisions right now and they do a good job of maintaining the skill level in each division.

 

[Wooty]

There are rinks in Culver City, El Segundo, Torrance (Harbor city), Lakewood, Pasadena, Paramount (Where they invented the Zamboni) plus a ton of other ones.

The closest to Santa Monica would be Culver City then El Segundo. Culver City runs 2 levels, El Segundo runs a lot of levels.

I don't think that there is anywhere in the SouthLAnd that you can't get to a rink in less then 20 minutes. (at night)

 

[WestCoastWild]

There are rinks in Culver City, El Segundo, Torrance (Harbor city), Lakewood, Pasadena, Paramount (Where they invented the Zamboni) plus a ton of other ones.

The closest to Santa Monica would be Culver City then El Segundo. Culver City runs 2 levels, El Segundo runs a lot of levels.

I don't think that there is anywhere in the SouthLAnd that you can't get to a rink in less then 20 minutes. (at night)

Van Nuys, Pasadena and Culver City's rink are absolute trash. Worst rinks i've ever been to.

Simi's OLY ice is way better than the NHL side but I play at Simi and its not too bad. Burbank's ice is awful but its a regular ice rink nothing special.

Valenica is very very nice, like said a bit of a trek to play, but I also live in Studio City and I'm 30 mins from Simi.

TSC (El Segundo, CA) being the closest worth a damn rink to play at to Santa Monica is a very very nice rink, The NHL sheet is one of the better sheets i've played on in awhile. But they also just lost their Pro Shop inside the rink so it would suck to run out of something before a game.

 

[motalar]

They do have a small shop next to the snack bar, in case you need tape or laces. Plus a small selection of equipment.
Otherwise, you could run over to Jake's, which is around the corner off Mariposa.

 

[Ducksgo*]

Hey all.. Apologies if this is a duplicate thread or if it should go in one of the CA team forums, but I couldn't anything in the search.

Does anyone here play adult hockey in LA - if so can they recommend any leagues?

I may be moving to LA from NYC this summer and need a place to play. I will most likely be living the Santa Monica area.

Thanks!

Glacial Gardens in lakewood, KHS in Anaheim? think so...East West Ice Palace in Artesia. Westminster Ice in Westminster etc

 

[Moses Doughty]

Id just stay at TSC, seems to me they have alot of leagues

 

[kingscourt26]

Van Nuys, Pasadena and Culver City's rink are absolute trash. Worst rinks i've ever been to.

Simi's OLY ice is way better than the NHL side but I play at Simi and its not too bad. Burbank's ice is awful but its a regular ice rink nothing special.

Valenica is very very nice, like said a bit of a trek to play, but I also live in Studio City and I'm 30 mins from Simi.

TSC (El Segundo, CA) being the closest worth a damn rink to play at to Santa Monica is a very very nice rink, The NHL sheet is one of the better sheets i've played on in awhile. But they also just lost their Pro Shop inside the rink so it would suck to run out of something before a game.

I skated at Van Nuys last week and the ice was so chippy. Simi actually has pretty decent ice in a crappy building. I do hate the corners where the zams come out though.

 

[ginblossoms]

some of my own thoughts...

culver city: kinda cool if you're into playing where the old la kings used to practice. what really sucks is that the locker rooms are upstairs. there are also interesting places to eat around the area.

harbor city (torrance): they used to have the WORST ice around. they did fix it a little while ago and started up leagues again. they were offering pretty good deals to start playing there again. new thai restaurant "attached" to the rink with windows allowing you to see what's going on the ice.

both of the above have dank hockey rink odors with the accompanying ambiance... which i prefer.

el segundo (tsc): kings practice facility (as well as lakers and, ahem, the sparks). extremely high level at the very top (think ex-nhl-prospect washouts), but there are plenty of other levels available. you could potentially land on a team with a b-to-d-list celebrity. my roller teammate has alexi lalas (soccer guy) on his ice team. very nice facility all around.

lakewood (glacial gardens): 3 rinks there, but last time i checked were only employing 2 of 'em. they have (or had) some partnership with the anaheim rink, so you may have to play a game or two way out there... kinda inconvenient but it's f-ing hockey, right?!

roller hockey: regarding your roller hockey comment, there is a neighborhood (mar vista) around santa monica with an outdoor roller rink. they have free pickup on tuesdays, wednesdays, and thursdays. leagues available also.

all in all, contrary to what non-californians may think, there are PLENTY of opportunities to play hockey in los angeles. depending on the team, pretty authentic beer league experiences are possible too.

 

[The Tikkanen]

some of my own thoughts...

culver city: kinda cool if you're into playing where the old la kings used to practice. what really sucks is that the locker rooms are upstairs. there are also interesting places to eat around the area.

harbor city (torrance): they used to have the WORST ice around. they did fix it a little while ago and started up leagues again. they were offering pretty good deals to start playing there again. new thai restaurant "attached" to the rink with windows allowing you to see what's going on the ice.

both of the above have dank hockey rink odors with the accompanying ambiance... which i prefer.

el segundo (tsc): kings practice facility (as well as lakers and, ahem, the sparks). extremely high level at the very top (think ex-nhl-prospect washouts), but there are plenty of other levels available. you could potentially land on a team with a b-to-d-list celebrity. my roller teammate has alexi lalas (soccer guy) on his ice team. very nice facility all around.

lakewood (glacial gardens): 3 rinks there, but last time i checked were only employing 2 of 'em. they have (or had) some partnership with the anaheim rink, so you may have to play a game or two way out there... kinda inconvenient but it's f-ing hockey, right?!

roller hockey: regarding your roller hockey comment, there is a neighborhood (mar vista) around santa monica with an outdoor roller rink. they have free pickup on tuesdays, wednesdays, and thursdays. leagues available also.

all in all, contrary to what non-californians may think, there are PLENTY of opportunities to play hockey in los angeles. depending on the team, pretty authentic beer league experiences are possible too.

Lakewood used to be partners with KHS Ice in Anaheim but that has ended. 1 olympic rink, 1 nhl rink and the 3rd rink is usually used for public skating or practice time for the Express or other younger players. I agree though, there are a ton of places to play and I've been fortunate enough to land on some very good teams over the years without knowing anybody on the team.

 

[kilowatt]

Simi is just so damn cold. Valencia's rink is amazing, and the Toyota Sports Center is really nice as well. Those are probably the top two local(ish) rinks. Other rinks are Simi Valley, Van Nuys, Oxnard.

There is quite a bit of roller hockey, too. Calabasas has a roller rink (Tri-Valley Roller Hockey). There is also the East Valley YMCA and a couple other places I'm surely forgetting.

 

[Wooty]

Roller rink in Torrance at Wilson Park next to the batting cages.

 

[Wooty]

Oh there is also an ice 3v3 league in Palos Verdes at the mall. The rink is tiny.

 

[jax00]

The Gardens at Lakewood is a great rink. Used to work and play there.

 

[doak]

Hey guys, does anyone know anything about the divisions / scheduling for Toyota? Couldn't find much on their site.

In particular:
* when does the fall season start?
* what days of the week are games (I assume it varies by skill division- i'd be looking at a lower division but not like beginner)

I think Toyota probably would make the most sense for me even though it looks like I'll be living a fair amount more north (end of Santa Monica). I guess Culver would be closer, but it seems like the consensus is Culver isn't very good?

 

[sjmay*]

Doak,

It all depends on what you are looking for,

Best competition, Toyota probably,

Good old hockey rinks, Culver is solid for that,

Good ice, good luck lol

If you make the jump over the hill into the Valley you have Pickwick, and Valley Ice, both solid places, Pickwick is probably a safer bet though in terms of area...

 

[sjmay*]

Doak,

It all depends on what you are looking for,

Best competition, Toyota probably,

Good old hockey rinks, Culver is solid for that,

Good ice, good luck lol

If you make the jump over the hill into the Valley you have Pickwick, and Valley Ice, both solid places, Pickwick is probably a safer bet though in terms of area...

 

[santiclaws]

A lot of guys on my team play both Culver and TSC. Three levels at Culver, BTW, not two.

 

[motalar]

Hey guys, does anyone know anything about the divisions / scheduling for Toyota? Couldn't find much on their site.

In particular:
* when does the fall season start?
* what days of the week are games (I assume it varies by skill division- i'd be looking at a lower division but not like beginner)

I think Toyota probably would make the most sense for me even though it looks like I'll be living a fair amount more north (end of Santa Monica). I guess Culver would be closer, but it seems like the consensus is Culver isn't very good?

I believe the fall season starts sometime in October. They are gearing up for the spring league which starts in late April.

Novice and the bronze divisions usually play on Fri, Sat, or Sun nights.

It is not that much further to TSC, and is totally worth it.