Arkansas teens shine in hockey

Did you know Arkansas is producing high-level hockey talent right here at home?

A dedicated group of high school students is hitting rinks across the nation, all chasing one dream: the chance to play at the collegiate level.

These athletes—many just sixteen and under—are traveling far and wide, competing against the best, and proving that passion knows no state lines.

“It’s a really fun community. It’s a small community, but we love our hockey,” says Bevan Keating, coach of the Jr. Varsity Little Rock Aces. “We have people that come from all parts of the world to come to Arkansas.”

The Little Rock Aces may be one of the state’s tightest-knit hockey programs, but for these young players, the rink is more than just a place to practice—it’s a second family, a place to find identity and purpose in a sport few in the Natural State might expect.

When Coach Keating moved from Canada, he never imagined his son would find a true hockey home in Arkansas. Today, his son plays at the Chicago Hockey Academy for the Chicago Jets, balancing school and a future on the ice.

“This is special to me because my whole family has done this their whole life,” says Brock Keating. “They’re Canadian, so hockey is a big deal there. I’ve been trying to carry on the tradition.”

Emory Wibbelsman, now playing in Connecticut and on track for Division I hockey, reflects on the personal side of the game: “My whole family did it when they were younger, and I just fell in love with it. It helps me be free.”

Then there’s Matthew Lewis, captain of the Aces, who drives six hours every weekend to play in Birmingham, Alabama. “This is just a place I can go to feel safe to feel like I have a family. And that’s really what hockey is all about,” he says.

In Arkansas, a state not widely known for hockey, these young athletes are showing that the sport not only has a home here—but a future that’s as bright as the ice they skate on.