This is literally the biggest thing that will have come to Hastings.”

United Heroes League President Shane Hudella

United Heroes League
15221 Ravenna Trail
Hastings, MN 55033
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Come January 2026, the puck will drop on something far bigger than just a game.
Hockey Day Minnesota is heading to Hastings for its 20th anniversary, and the celebration is shaping up to be the biggest one yet. Until the NHL approves the dates, the event is tentatively scheduled for January 17 through 24. Once approved, this means the event will double its typical run time, spanning eight full days instead of the usual four. And for United Heroes League President Shane Hudella, who spoke at the July 10 Hastings Area Rotary Club meeting, it’s personal, it’s local, and it’s monumental.
“This is literally the biggest thing that will have come to Hastings,” Hudella said.
At the heart of the event is the United Heroes League campus, located along Ravenna Trail. It's a site that’s undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few years, beginning with the addition of a refrigerated NHL-size outdoor rink. That rink has already hosted more than 60 communities, and teams like the Hastings Raider girls varsity now call it their home ice for a special rivalry game against Park of Cottage Grove each winter.
But the rink was just the beginning.
“Infrastructure was always our issue. Kids were getting dressed in tents. We had porta pots. No potable water. It was good stuff, right?” Hudella said with a laugh. “Now, we’ve got a state-of-the-art locker room with four team rooms, a public bathroom, and a Zamboni garage.”
The locker rooms come with a special touch: handcrafted stalls donated by Quality One Woodworking in memory of WWII veteran Lou Chicquette, the first military brick honored in the campus’ Veteran’s Monument.
With the locker rooms now completed, construction is moving on to permanent bleachers, adding seating for 1,200 spectators. For Hockey Day, temporary bleachers will boost total capacity to more than 5,500. A VIP tent with a party deck, a skate trail winding through the woods, and even a potential concert series in the summer months round out the ambitious $4 million project.
“This gives our community a venue for so much more,” Hudella said. “We can do concerts, bigger games, and events year-round. We’ve got infrastructure now.”
To date, $3.5 million has been raised through generous donations and community support. A final push is underway to close the remaining $500,000 gap, with a capital campaign launching soon.
Meanwhile, the event itself is taking shape. Organized in partnership with the Minnesota Wild and FanDuel, Hockey Day will bring eight days of games, festivities, and TV coverage to Hastings. Unlike in past years, this iteration will feature two nationally televised days. Hudella hinted at a major reveal coming July 18 at Rivertown Days, including details about the second broadcast and the official schedule.
The major reveal at Rivertown Days is expected to be the full schedule with the marquee matchups for the two televised days. Hudella hopes the dates will be confirmed by the NHL by then so that can be announced as well. Hudella stated that the previously requested dates for Hockey Day MN have always been approved, but there is still a chance that those dates need to be changed, however unlikely that chance is.
“This is a massive undertaking,” he said. “We’ve had a year and a half of planning with our committee, which includes United Heroes League staff and board members, Hastings hockey leaders, city officials, and partners from the Wild and FanDuel. We’re now converting the plan into reality.”
The economic and social impact is expected to be enormous. Attendance across the week is projected to exceed 100,000, with 25,000 or more expected on both Friday and Saturday alone.
“That’s every bar, every restaurant, every hotel, full,” Hudella said. “The city’s been a tremendous partner, and that hasn’t always been the case in other towns.”
For Hastings, the payoff is more than the numbers. It's a legacy. Youth programs from Hastings Hockey and United Heroes League will benefit directly. Local businesses still have time to sign on as sponsors, and Hudella says community partnerships will be crucial to reaching the $1.2 million partnership goal.
“We’re just under a million right now, we still need about $200,000. We really need help from local businesses to get there,” he said.
One of the most anticipated features will be the three-quarter-mile skate trail, expected to open to the public on December 20. It will wind from the Veteran’s Monument, through the woods along the bluff, and back. String lights will illuminate the trees. A trailside bar might offer a warm drink for the chilly loop.
“We’re talking fireball or a glass of wine halfway through,” Hudella joked. “You’re burning calories out there.”
The event site, already impressive, will become something of a winter wonderland. Between the permanent and temporary bleachers, massive tents, and event staging, it will rival any stadium in feel, if not size. A flyover by F-16s, a Black Hawk helicopter drop-off for the puck drop, and appearances from Hastings-born NHL alumni are all part of the plan.
Derek Stepan, Taylor Chorney, Dean Talafous, and Jeff Taffe are among those expected to return. The Raiders boys and girls varsity squads will play the first two games of the main broadcast day.
“It’s going to be just amazing for these kids to play in front of 5,500 people, with some of the biggest names in hockey there,” Hudella said.
Volunteers will be essential. Past Hockey Day events needed 500 to 700 volunteer shifts over four days. Hastings will need to double that. Sign-ups are already open.
“We need a ton of them,” Hudella said. “Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but volunteers can start signing up now.”
Behind the big weekend is a bigger mission. The United Heroes League has grown into a national force for military families, distributing nearly $35 million in charitable equipment and programming in its 16-year history. New partnerships, including one with the NHL to launch a league-wide military pillar, are pushing the organization toward even greater growth.
And the vision for the Hastings campus doesn’t stop in 2026.
By 2028, the final piece of the development plan will be underway: an 80,000-square-foot community facility, featuring indoor turf, batting cages, basketball courts, and warehouse space to support UHL’s growing needs. The area now serving as a parking lot for Hockey Day is already slated to become a football and soccer field. What’s now temporary is set to become permanent, community-focused, and mission-driven.
But first, Hudella and the organizing team have a countdown to January.
“It’s no joke,” he said. “We’re putting in 40 hours a week just on Hockey Day. But after the last puck drops, we’re going to take a break and have a beer.”
Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 in Hastings is more than a festival. It's a statement, a celebration, and a legacy in the making.