Pass. Shoot. Score. Brew.

by Gabe John

The San Diego Elite Draft League Is Here


And San Diego roller hockey will never be the same again. 

At least that’s what it felt like when the day had all wrapped up following the evaluation skate for the 2024 San Diego Elite Draft League on Saturday, May 25. 


This past Saturday, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, the east rink at Escondido’s Kit Carson Park was alight with more than 30 players and goalies who took to the ‘ice’ to show off their skills, speed and stamina (really impressive stuff up and down the lineup). During the skate, team managers and league directors watched and evaluated players to help inform strategies for the draft selection to follow. 



“The skate was awesome. In this format, there’s no guarantee who you play with, so I wanted to find some sort of chemistry with any player that I got paired up with,” said Ray Kinsey, a local player who would end up getting picked in the first round of the league draft. When asked what he hoped the league would bring to the area, Kinsey expressed how it’d be great to see more players and excitement around roller hockey in San Diego. “There’s so much talent in San Diego, but there’s so few tournaments. So the more attention and the more leagues we can get going down here, the better.” 


To be eligible for the draft selection, players and goalies had to sign up for the evaluation skate, regardless of whether or not they attended. As it turned out, the evaluation skate had an attendance rate of 68%, giving the team managers plenty of insight into the strength of the league and the skillsets of participating players. 

Following the skate, league commissioner Josh Fountaine facilitated a player-selection draft for the managers to form their respective teams. Using an AI-generated pick order, the draft followed a snake-style format with the following first-round selection order:

  1. Temecula Vineyard Vipers — Team Manager: Matt Hamilton
  2. Mission Bay Ospreys — Team Manager: Noe Santos
  3. North County Surfers — Team Manager: AJ Wright
  4. Del Mar Bandits — Team Manager: Tanner Stephan

“The draft ended up super even. I expect a lot of parity and a lot of good games," team manager Tanner Stephan said after the draft. “To have a new league with fresh faces, sick jerseys, and marketing behind it is going to attract people. So I think roller hockey and SoCal in general will benefit from this.”


The draft was hosted at Craft Coast Beer & Tacos in San Marcos, California. One of the co-owners of Craft Coast, Lars Erickson, is an avid hockey player himself, and he rallied his establishment to step up as a partner of the inaugural season for the San Diego Elite Draft League. 



Craft Coast was a great host venue. In addition to their delicious selection of tacos and beers, the brewery also made available their private backroom lounge for the draft, which came equipped with a pool table for the team managers to get an early start on competition and chirping.  


“This league presents a unique opportunity to give back to roller hockey as an adult. I’ve been playing at the Escondido rink for a long time, so creating a new spot that can support people after the games is a fun opportunity,” noted Craft Coast’s Lars Erickson. “Having an organized, competitive league will appeal to people who want to play competitively. And if players and people want to get their beers in afterwards, they can come to Craft Coast.”


From the exciting talent to the outstanding accommodations provided by Craft Coast, the Elite Draft League’s pre-season kickoff set the tone for what will surely be a thrilling addition to summer hockey in the San Diego area.