Maple Grove Selected To Host ‘Hockey Day Minnesota’ in 2028
Maple Grove is officially on the clock.
On Saturday, the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Hockey announced that Maple Grove’s Central Park will host Hockey Day Minnesota in January of 2028.
The event will be the 22nd annual celebration of hockey across Minnesota. Events will include multiple televised hockey games, recreational skating trails, a “hockey village” and a slew of other activities for fans.
“Maple Grove, the community, is absolutely buzzing since the announcement,” said Greg Anzelc, executive director of Experience Maple Grove.
Securing an event of this magnitude—one that attracts national broadcasting and tens of thousands of fans—was no small feat. The process involved extensive site visits from the Minnesota Wild and a collaborative effort between Experience Maple Grove, the city of Maple Grove, the Osseo Maple Grove Hockey Association (OMGHA), and the Maple Grove High School coaching staff.
“This has been a long time in the process,” Anzelc noted. “We’ve had all-hands-on-deck just to get to this point.”
While several sites were considered—including the high school football stadium and Fernbrook Fields—the selection committee ultimately landed on Central Park. The park’s layout offers a unique opportunity to create a multi-layered “hockey village” experience:
Because modern Hockey Day standards require consistent ice quality, the city will bring in heavy-duty refrigeration equipment to build a professional-grade outdoor rink from scratch.
Central Park in Maple Grove will host Hockey Day Minnesota in 2028.
Economic Impact: “Heads in Beds”
The stakes for the local economy are high. Experience Maple Grove expects the event to draw between 25,000 to 35,000 visitors to the city over the course of the week-long celebration.
“Our mission is to bring high-profile events that drive economic impact—heads in beds—to Maple Grove,” Anzelc explained.
“So, it will absolutely be exciting for our hockey community to participate in it,” he added. “But also, for us at Experience Maple Grove, from a tourism perspective, it really puts Maple Grove on the map in terms of that exposure.”
Proceeds from the 22nd annual statewide hockey celebration will be used to grow the game of hockey in the Maple Grove community.
While the event is two years away, planning has already begun. Experience Maple Grove is recruiting people to be part of the local organizing committee. Folks with skills in finance, fundraising, media, marketing, operations and logistics, event planning, ticketing and volunteer management are encouraged to apply.
If you want to help, you can find more information, or sign up to volunteer, at the Experience Maple Grove website.
