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BALDY’S PUCK DROP Weekly E-Newsletter (September – August) |
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Baldy’s Puck Drop” Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Volume 104: June 4, 2026
PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf
Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: We hope everyone has enjoyed their Spring and can appreciate the healthy rain from last weekend. The Ice Plex has been undergoing some ice maintenance for the past few weeks and plan on having the ice back up and running the middle of next week for several summer programs. Coach Sears has been travelling to Calgary and Nashville on recruiting trips with a trip to Las Vegas still to come.
From the business side of things, our schedule is pretty much finalized and is waiting for league approval and official release at the end of this month. I am excited to start working with several of our community partners to find the best options to provide maximum value for their support next season. A special thanks goes out to those partners who have renewed for the coming season, they are; Central Montana Lock & Safe, Coca-Cola, Great Falls Clinic and Hospitals, Jersey Mike’s, Open Door Wellness, Teriyaki Madness, Toyota, and our newest partners 3D International Restaurant & Lounge and Rainbow Senior Living. It may not be hockey season, but it can still be a busy time of the years as we prepare for next season – not to mention the start of the Stanley Cup Finals.
And one quick “toot our own horn” note to share. I just received the data from NAHLTV and am proud to announce your very own Americans owned the 4th largest audience this season, in the 38 team NA3HL, with 371,000 minutes streamed. A very special thanks to our broadcasters Ryan Siders and JD Pearson, and our production crew of Krista Smith, Scott Schrader and Chelle Herbruger for putting together a product that our fans enjoyed enough to keep coming back for more.
I am very pleased to announce that our captain last season, Fisher Hannesson (Fargo, ND), has finalized his college commitment. Fish will be attending the University of Mary located in Bismarck,
North Dakota. The University of Mary is a private Christian college founded in 1959 with more than 4000 students and 65 possible degree options. The “Marauders” are a member of NCAA Division II with 18 varsity sports and hosts an ACHA Division I Men’s Hockey Program. Fisher becomes our fourth college commit (Kaden Rhyder to University of Jamestown, Cooper Clouse to Hope College and Owen Cronk to the University of Providence) and we are excited to follow all their continuing careers at the collegiate level.
Players are starting to sign their contracts as the summer has progressed and we want to welcome the following to our family for the 2026-27 season:
| Player | Position | Year | Hometown | 2025-26 Team |
| Jarret Averett | Forward/Def | 2007 | Sidney, MT | Great Falls Americans |
| Colton Bacon | Forward | 2008 | Billings, MT | Great Falls Americans |
| Zach Bohan | Goalkeeper | 2008 | Rochester, MN | Rochester Century HS |
| Logan Knowles | Defenseman | 2009 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Jr. Chiefs 18U AA |
| Ayecan Mcleslie | Forward | 2008 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Jr. Chiefs 18U AA |
| Jarrett Parker | Forward | 2007 | Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Capitals 18U AAA |
| Jacob Piccioni | Forward | 2008 | Billings, MT | Team Wyoming 18U AAA |
| Paxon Sacre | Forward | 2008 | Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Capitals 18U AAA |
Here is a quick update on other activities the Americans are currently involved with. Our partnership with Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation Center continues with our Sled Program running on Wednesday evenings. Season two of Baldy’s Shooting Club is running from mid-April through mid-September and provides youth players access to our off-ice skill center. Long Term Athlete Development principles suggest it takes 10,000 repetitions to master a skill, so Baldy’s Shooting Club encourages youth players to use the off-ice center to perfect their shooting skills and challenges them to take 10,000 shots over the summer. Our coaching staff will also spend some time with them to ensure proper technique is used and the result is a core group of youth hockey goal scorers ready to hit the ice next season.
We are excited to work with many of our future players at our Prospects Camp on June 20th and 21st and, hopefully, provide an opportunity for local and younger kids to measure their skill level with players who will be on our 2026-27 roster. The Prospects Camp is open to all players from 2006-2010 birth years. The camp includes three ice sessions and many of our current players have gotten their first exposure to our program during this annual event. We’ll hit the ice for our first session at 10:00 AM on Saturday and the day will include an orientation meeting, tour of our facilities – including our official workout facility The Peak Health and Wellness – a goalie skate followed by another ice session and a social at the rink. We’ll skate again Sunday morning and our staff will conduct exit interviews with each player to provide feedback and map out a future for the player. The ice sessions are open to the public and feel free to come out and meet the participating players.
The 2026-27 season schedule is being finalized, and we hope to be able to announce our full season schedule in late June. A few key dates to keep in mind include opening weekend on September 11th and 12th (4th Annual Tailgate Party on Saturday the 12th), the NA3HL Showcase on December 20th-22nd and the regular season will conclude March 12th-13th. We look forward to continuing our “Think Pink For the Girls” Breast Cancer Awareness weekend in October, Military Appreciation in November and a chance to honor our Rancher/Rodeo tradition in January.
Another first-time activity this summer is supporting two Jr Americans youth teams (9U and 11U) in summer programming by taking them to a Summer Showdown Tournament in Vegas in July. With the Ice Plex having summer ice, it was time to start a summer program for local kids to continue their development without having to travel throughout the state and beyond in an environment that will allow them to still participate in other sports. 24 local kids, plus a handful from Butte or Cody, WY, will practice with our coaching staff on Sunday evenings until they participate in Mid-July in a tournament. This is the first step in supporting our local players with practical programming that will prepare them to play for the Americans someday.
Look for some special upcoming activations through DASH in the coming weeks. We will be running special Father’s Day promotion for all hockey fans that will have three
different bundles available for any father. The Father’s Day sale will start on June 14th and will run all week – don’t miss out on getting your dad a special package made up of Americans’ swag. Then, as part of USA’s Gold Medal winning Olympic Hockey Teams and the nation’s 250th birthday, we will be running a blowout sale on several items during the 4th of July Weekend, including Buy One Get One Season Tickets. Click on the QR Code to become activated and stay tuned to our social media channels as we get closer for more information.
We’ll be out in full force during the Great Falls 4th of July Parade, as well. And, for those on Malmstrom AFB, stop by our booth at the Summer Palooza on June 18th to play a little street hockey and enter your chance to win.
Finally, our 4th Annual Cornhole Extravaganza is set for August 22nd with registration now open. Click on the QR code to the right and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with our 2026-27 players prior to our intense pre-season training camp starting on August 24th. The Annual Blue-White Game is scheduled for August 29th and, once again, is open to the public.
Here are the upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
- June 14th – 19th – Father’s Day Sale Through Dash
- June 18th – Malmstrom AFB Summer Palooza. 11:00 AM-2:00PM
- June 19th-21st – Great Falls Americans Annual Prospects Camp.
- June 24th – 2026-27 Season Schedule Announced (Hopefully – League dictated)
- July 2nd -6th – 4th of July 250th Celebration Blowout Sale on DASH
- July 4th – Great Falls 4th of July Parade and GFA Enter to Win Contest
- August 22nd– 4th Annual Cornhole Extravaganza, Beacon Icehouse
- August 24 — 28th – Great Falls Americans Main Camp
- August 29th – 4th Annual GFA Blue-White Game.
- September 11th – Regular Season Begins: Home and Season Opener
- September 12th – Home game with 4th Annual Tailgate Party Featuring the Live Band, “After Five”
- December 20th-22nd – NA3HL Showcase, Blaine, MN.
Thank you to our corporate partners for their continued support.
Eagle’s Nest Level
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Diamond Level
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Platinum Level
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Tammy Quintrell-Stubbs
Gold, Silver and Bronze Level Partners (* new this season)
| All-State Signs | Beacon Ice House | Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation* |
| Floors & More Abbey Carpets | Central Avenue Meats | MNoel Photography |
| Havre Youth Hockey | Central MT Lock & Safe | Century Gaming |
| Life in Bloom Floral @ Gift Boutique | Hotel Arvon/Celtic Cowboy | Stifel l Finnicum Financial Group |
| Coca-Cola* | Craftmaster Cabinets | Culligan Water |
| Comparion Insurance | Play It Again Sports | Open Door Wellness |
| Big Sky Laboratory | Cascade Electric | Hampton Inn & Suites |
| Ferrin’s Furniture | Great Falls Hospital | She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique |
| Jersey Mike’s | Karma Coffee | Murphy Law |
| Scheels | Stockman Bank | Traynor Capital |
| Voices of Hope* | Johnson Distributing | Mountain Title Company |
| Fire Pizza* | Montana Rib & Chop House* | Visit Great Falls |
| Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory | Bish’s RV of Great Falls* | StaRadio |
| Benski Towing & Recovery | Westgate Repair, Inc. | Annie’s Taphouse |
| Sip-N-Dip Lounge* | Special Olympics of Montana* | TDS Fiber |
| Hoglund’s Work and Western Wear | High Plains Wealth Management | 3D International Restaurant & Lounge |
| Rainbow Senior Living |
Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!
Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com