The goals don’t stop after the final buzzer sounds on Sundays at The Stronghold.

After the game, kids 14 and under have the chance to take a slapshot on home ice, something many of them dream of accomplishing in-game in the future.

“Much like hockey, building a strong community requires active engagement,” said Vice President and Chief Ticketing Officer Cole Miltenberger. “This past summer, we were inspired by the ‘Kids Run the Bases’ initiative in minor league baseball and began exploring how we could implement a similar concept in a hockey setting. From that inspiration, our ‘Kids Day’ postgame slapshots quickly came to life.”

Fans from all over the Vegas Valley and beyond make their way to Kids Day games. That includes fans from nearby Henderson neighborhoods, but even fans from as far as Manchester, England have stepped out onto the ice this season. They’re united by a love of the game and a love of the Knights.

Henderson’s leadership – as well as the coaches and players – want to make sure that they have something tangible to remember the occasion by. The first few thousand fans through the doors on Sundays are greeted by that game’s kid-exclusive giveaway, including youth-sized jerseys, street hockey sticks, and Knights lunch boxes.

“One of our core missions in Henderson is to grow the sport of hockey,” added Miltenberger. “As part of our ‘Kids Day’ initiative, we created a full-size street hockey stick giveaway to inspire kids to play the game—whether they have access to ice rinks or not. And when we decided to invest further in the experience, exclusive game-day giveaways for those 14 and younger was an obvious way to do it.”

“Sometimes, you’ll talk to grandparents taking their grandchildren to games, and they still have memorabilia from games they went to as kids themselves. It fostered a lifelong love for the sport. Making sure that these kids go home with something that they’ll have for years to come ensured that every aspect of the experience would be memorable.”

The dedication of the entire Knights organization to growing the game has already paid dividends. Just ask Vegas-born Silver Knights player Gage Quinney.

“Growing up, people would always be surprised if you talked about playing hockey here in Vegas,” he said. “Now it’s a hockey hotbed. We have so many kids who want to play here that teams have more players trying out than they have spots.”

For Miltenberger, though, this is just the beginning.

“Our goal is to be the preeminent professional team in Henderson, one that the entire community can take pride in. We recognize that this begins with fostering connections with our youth, and that’s why we’ve developed a day focused on strengthening the bond between our team and the young fans of Henderson.”

The Silver Knights will host their next Kids Day on Sunday, February 16. The first 3,000 fans will receive a mini stick and ball set courtesy of M Resort, and the team will also celebrate Jurassic Knight with specialty jerseys and activations throughout the arena. Tickets are available here.