Nevada Youth Hockey Went From 539 Players to Nearly 3,000 in Eight Seasons, UNLV Data Shows

Nevada Youth Hockey Went From 539 Players to Nearly 3,000 in Eight Seasons, UNLV Data Shows

USA Hockey registered nearly 3,000 Nevada players 18 and under in 2024-25, up from 539 in 2016-17, according to UNLV's new Sports Economy Dashboard. Girls are about 13 percent of them.

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In the 2016-17 season, USA Hockey had 539 registered players 18 and under in Nevada. In 2024-25 it had nearly 3,000. That is more than five times as many kids on the ice in eight seasons.

The numbers come from the Sports Economy Dashboard released Oct. 29 by UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research and the UNLV Sports Innovation Institute, according to the UNLV announcement. Girls make up about 13 percent of today's youth players.

Youth Hockey Is the Participation Number in a Jobs Report

Most of the dashboard is about money and jobs. Sports-related employment in the Las Vegas area grew from about 8,500 workers in 2015 to an estimated 18,816 in 2025, with fitness and recreational sports centers employing the largest share. Nearly 2 million visitors attended sporting events in Las Vegas in 2025, spending an estimated $860 million directly, based on Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data. FOX5 Las Vegas reported the same figures.

The hockey line is the one that measures kids playing, not fans watching. Jay Vickers, UNLV's associate athletics director for the Rebel Athletic Fund, put it this way: sports are "becoming more than something Southern Nevadans watch."

Where the Growth Lines Up

The 2016-17 starting point is the season before the Vegas Golden Knights played their first NHL game. The dashboard does not claim the team caused the jump, and the report does not break the total down by age group or rink. It does give the region a public, updated count, and the next USA Hockey registration year will show whether the curve keeps climbing.

More youth sports coverage is on the BallerTube youth sports page.