The LA King’s High School League brings ice hockey to sunny Southern California. The league has a junior varsity and varsity program that operates in ice rinks in Los Angeles County, Kern County and Santa Barbara County.

The high school league started in 2015 for hockey players in Southern California. East County Outlaws Head Coach Scott Jones was one of the coaches there at the inception of the league backed by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.

“I have been coaching the Outlaws since the LA Kings High School Hockey League started in 2015,” Jones said. “[I’ve] had the opportunity to be involved in the process of naming the team, giving input on the team’s logo and working with the league organizers in the King’s office.”

The East County Outlaws Hockey Team is part of the LA King’s High School Hockey League and is based out of Simi Valley Iceoplex. The team includes four Oak Park High School students who have played with the team for a long time. Senior Ari Falevitch is one of the three Oak Park seniors on the team.

“My aunt took me to my first hockey game when I was about 4, and as cliche as it sounds, it was love at first sight. I’ve been playing for the past 13 years of my life and I haven’t turned back,” Falevitch said.

Some OPHS players, like Falevitch, have been playing since they were young kids. Freshman Samuel Melacon has been involved with hockey since he was “about five or six.” The high school league is allowing these players who have loved the game since they were young the opportunity to join a hockey team since they would not otherwise be able to through their school.

“I think the LA Kings are doing a great job to grow hockey in LA. I think high school hockey and college hockey are going to be the future of hockey in CA,” Co-Coach Jordan Pugmire said.

Pugmire and Jones coach many ages, taking the skills they developed while playing and teaching them to new players. Pugmire has been playing since he was four-years-old and Jones, growing up in Calgary, Canada, played hockey from the beginning of his life. Their experience in hockey has helped to create a certain atmosphere in the team with the players as the coaches explain.

“Jordan Pugmire, Mike Mariano (the other Outlaw’s coaches) and myself don’t believe in yelling at the team to motivate them, but we do make it clear that we expect our players to be respectful, responsible and well-disciplined on and off the ice,” Jones said.

While the East County Outlaws hockey team consists of players from multiple high schools, many past and present teams have included Oak Park players. However, the team always consists of local hockey players from the area due to the limited amount of high schoolers playing hockey.

“It’s amazing to have a team from different areas and especially to have teammates from Oak Park. You get to know everyone, who they are and where they grew up,” Melacon said.

The coaches enjoy the “localness” of the team, as well, and the atmosphere created.

“I love coaching in a local community with players who I’ve known for a few years,” Pugmire said.

The California Interscholastic Federation does not have ice hockey as one of their sports. Therefore, any player interested in playing must go through the high school league from the NHL. But if Oak Park High School did have a team, many of OPHS players would join according to the OPHS players.

“I do wish there was an Oak Park High School team because I feel there would be much more of a team spirit if everyone on the team came from Oak Park,” Melacon said.

Even though Oak Park High School does not have its own hockey team, the players enjoy that they can see the majority of their players and have what other teams on campus have.

“It’s one thing to know someone off the ice, but you feel a greater sense of camaraderie when you see them practically every day. You have something in common with them away from the game which helps you bond as a teammate,” Falteich said.