Think your youngster has what it takes to make a hockey slap shot? Would your kids love to check out what the inside of the Arizona Coyotes locker room looks like? Well, for the hockey obsessed and even those who just want to learn more about the sport, it’s all possible now—thanks to the Arizona Coyotes Youth Mobile Tour.
From now through Monday, May 2, the National Hockey League (NHL) Arizona Coyotes traveling experience will be hitting 25 spots in the Valley, offering families a chance to share in the fun of the game—and hopefully to add young fans to its roster of lifelong supporters.
“We really wanted [a mobile] experience to bring specifically to kids interested in the sport—and maybe to kids who haven’t had any experience with hockey,” says Amy Dimond, marketing director for the Arizona Coyotes.
The free tours, designed for kids ages 18 and younger, feature immersive technology and a hands-on hockey skills station. Parents are welcome to join in the fun.
Tours begin with a fan zone, which Dimond describes as a fun, fast-paced entry into all things Coyotes: “You get temporary tattoos, you can get your hair dyed temporarily red, you get Coyotes wristbands and then you enter into what we call the ‘slap shot experience.'”
The slap shot virtual gaming experience gives youngsters a chance to score off a virtual NHL goalie. Then it’s on to a video display of content about Arizona Coyotes players, followed by an interactive quiz that matches kids to their favorite players.
The tour is part of a long-term effort to spark more interest in—and grow the fan base for—the game of hockey in Arizona. The Valley has shown some of the highest-percentage growth in the number of kids signing up to play hockey in an area with an NHL team.
The Coyotes have a presence in six Valley ice rinks. They also hosted the first-ever Girls Hockey Appreciation Night honoring girl hockey players throughout Arizona this past December at Gila River Arena, the Coyotes’ home ice.
If you attend a Coyotes hockey game, watch for the team to spotlight youth hockey—including the Mites on Ice for 5- to 8-year-olds—with shoot-outs during intermissions.
The draft card is Dimond’s favorite part of the tour. Kids go to the interactive draft experience, put on a jersey and hat, grab a stick, then have their picture taken against a background of what looks like real fans in a real arena.
“We print out [an NHL draft card] right then so they get ‘drafted’ by the Arizona Coyotes,” says Dimond. “They can sign their name on the card.” With parents’ permission, the Coyotes will send it to the family in an email to share on social media.
To find out when the Arizona Coyotes Youth Mobile Tour is coming to a rink or event near you, visit the team’s website at ArizonaCoyotes.com/mobiletour.
