You seem a bit obsessed by being ready to play in a beer league. Don't worry about it. If your local rink has a decent league there will be a level suitable for you, even if you can barely stand up on skates.
But I know you want to be better than that, so ... skate, skate, skate. A player could have the best puck skills imaginable, but those skills are pointless if he can't beat an opponent to the puck, and to a location on the ice to utilize them.
It's been a while since I've looked into it, but there are hockey skating professionals, some of whom work with NHL teams and individual players, who publish instructional DVDs. Buy one, watch it, and go apply what you've learned on the ice. Wouldn't be a bad idea to pay for some lessons. Having someone assess you on the ice is a big help.
And, most important, get out to your local stick time. There you can work on what matters to you - skating, stick handling, shooting, whatever.
Figure skates? Nah, forget that.