Golden Knights attracting new fans thanks to tour through Mexico

METEPEC, Mexico -- Rodrigo Gutierrez smiled just before hitting the ice for a Vegas Golden Knights youth hockey clinic on Friday.

“It’s a great experience, something different,” Gutierrez said. “You just get excited being here.”

The 14-year-old center was among the 150 local players who participated in clinics as part of “LosVGK en Mexico,” the Golden Knights' first visit to Mexico to extend their brand and help grow the sport south of the U.S. border.

The clinics Friday at the Winter Sports Center Metepec, a little more than an hour drive west from Mexico City, were the first of several ice and ball hockey sessions this weekend led by Sheri Hudspeth, Vegas' director for youth hockey programs & fan development, with help from coaches from the Mexico Ice Hockey Federation.

“Kids were buzzing, it was really fun,” Hudspeth said. “I’m really surprised how skilled they are. They’re really good.”

More than 400 people are expected to attend a fan fest at the Metepec rink on Sunday before “LosVGK en Mexico” travels to Monterrey on Tuesday.

There, Vegas will host a ball hockey clinic and open skate at Ice Complex Monterrey for children from Fundacion Dr. Sonrisas, a foundation that supports children affected by life-threatening health conditions.

The Golden Knights are wooing Mexico Vegas-style by bringing the T-Mobile Arena in-game experience to the country.

Chance, the mascot, members of the Viva Vegas cheerleading squad, the Knights Guard ice-cleaning crew, and Jesus Lopez, the team's Spanish language play-by-play broadcaster, are among the 15-person Golden Knights contingent that made the Mexico City journey Thursday night.

“We felt it was really important that if we’re going to do this right, do this the VGK way, it was important that we brought those fan experiences and elements with us,” Vegas chief marketing officer Eric Tosi said.

It's all part of a strategy to expand the Golden Knights brand outside traditional hockey fan bases.

“There were eyebrows raised when (owner) Bill Foley made his claim that the Vegas Golden Knights would make the playoffs in three years and win the Stanley Cup in six,” Tosi said. “One of the other proclamations back in 2017 was he wanted the Vegas Golden Knights brand to be as recognizable around the world as the LA Lakers and New York Yankees.”

Vegas is the latest NHL team vying to become Mexico’s team, joining the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars.

Los Angeles has held clinics in Mexico City since 2018. It formed a partnership with the Mexico City Jr. Kings, a program founded in 2020, sending coaches and former players to the city to provide elite-level instruction.

Dallas also made its initial foray into Mexico City in 2018. The Stars have hosted Learn to Play clinics, the most recent one in June.

Mexico’s young players and their families are enjoying the attention they’re receiving from the teams.

“It’s very nice for us here with my kids, who are very excited to play and come for this event,” said Mauritio Hernandez, who son, Nicholas, and daughter, Ivanna, skated in the minis/novice session Friday. “They’ve skated before. Hockey is the next step.”

Mexico Ice Hockey Federation president Joaquin de la Garma applauded Vegas’ entry into the country's hockey scene.

“This is great," he said, "because I think the Golden Knights are very important here in Mexico because most of the kids really love the team from Las Vegas. It’s a very good opportunity to develop hockey in Mexico.”

Tosi said Vegas decided the time was right to venture into Mexico after studying tourism and demographics trends in Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County.

The Golden Knights learned that Mexico ranks second behind Canada in international visitors to Las Vegas; and Mexico City ranked third in destination of origin on direct flights to Las Vegas behind Toronto and London.

Nearly 35 percent of Las Vegas’ population is Hispanic, and almost 30 percent of the state is Hispanic, according to 2022 U.S. Census and Nevada data figures.

More than 225,000 residents are of Mexican heritage, Golden Knights president and CEO Kerry Bubolz said when Vegas announced the Mexico City trip.

“We want to connect with our Hispanic and Spanish-speaking faithful, the Knights fans, throughout the realm, as we call it,” said Benjamin Thomas, the Golden Knights’ director for Latino marketing and outreach.”