GF AMERICANS: BALDY’S PUCK DROP WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER FROM MATT LEAF (VOLUME 67)

BALDY’S PUCK DROP Weekly E-Newsletter (September – August)

Baldy’s Puck Drop” Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf

Volume 67: June 5, 2025

PDF Printable Download: Weekly E-Newsletter with Matt Leaf

Dear Great Falls Americans Enthusiast: Happy Summer to everyone from the Great Falls Americans! As crazy as it sounds, it is time to start thinking hockey again as are team is starting to shape up and there are several events in the coming weeks that will keep our staff busy. 

Player contracts are starting to come in, which is basically a commitment to play for the Americans next season. Every player – new, tendered, drafted or even returning – are required to sign a player contract each season as it outlines the team expectations, the player’s rights and the tuition plan. It is also a time where we gather info from the player regarding equipment/apparel sizing, contact information for the player and family and start mapping out a billet plan. Even though we may own the rights for returning, tendered or drafted players, the ultimate decision still lies with the player to choose whether they want to come play for the Americans. They may choose to move on to college hockey, make a higher-level Junior team or choose not to play at all. The process will continue to unfold over the summer months as our coaching staff continues to talk to and lock-in players. Look for a complete list of committed players in future editions as the pieces of the puzzle are completed to field a championship level team.

I will give you a quick taste of a unique player who has committed for next season. Ignacio Soto Borja Trejo is a 2005 birth year defenseman who most recently played for the Gold Medal winning Mexico Men’s National Team at the IIHF Division IIIB Championship. Ignacio is 6’1” 176 lbs. and had three goals and two assists while being a +14 at the Championship in Queretaro, Mexico. I first met Ignacio in Iceland at an U18 tournament two seasons ago and recruited him then, as well. He represented Mexico at the U18, U20 and Senior Men’s levels a total of seven times and has accumulated 10 goals, 8 assists and 36 penalty minutes with a +26 rating in 35 games. We look forward to Ignacio joining us in Great Falls this summer.

Greg, Alex and volunteer assistant coach Nathan Bring will continue to scout as they head to Vegas for a showcase in a couple of weeks while we continue to take registrations for our Open Prospects Camp on June 21-22. We expect between 20 and 30 players to attend, and they will include some returning players, some tendered or drafted and some players who we are not familiar with but have a desire to play for the Americans either now or in the future. The three ice sessions are open to the public (Saturday 10:00-11:30 AM, 4:00-5:30 PM and Sunday 9:30 -11:00 AM) and we will also have some off-ice activities, including a Tailgate/Social for the players and their parents after the afternoon session Saturday.

The schedule for the 2025-26 season is in the process of being finalized and should be officially announced at the end of this month. Look for the Americans to open at home on the weekend of September 5th and 6th with the 6th being our Annual Tailgate party with the live band ‘After Five” playing on the back side of the Ice Plex. It is always a great weekend to start the season, and we are happy to continue the tradition of starting the season at home the first weekend in September. Only 92 days until our home and season opener and I am pretty sure you are going to be excited about the opponent!

Our 3rd Annual Cornhole Extravaganza has been scheduled for the Beacon Ice House for Saturday, August 16th and will be part of an Alumni weekend where several of our past players will be attending to catch up and meet the 2025-26 version of the Great Falls Americans. As usual, the Cornhole event will include a live band (Clint Reimann) at 7:00 PM. Registration for Cornhole is now open at www.greatfallsamericans.com or by scanning the QR code. The alumni weekend will culminate with an alumni game (open to the public) on Sunday the 17th. Monday the 18th will be the start of our training camp and will include media day.

Baldy’s Shooting Club is up and running with nine participants. Jeramiah Mueller leads the pack with 2000 shots taken with Connor Maroney not far behind with 895 shots, thus far. They are on their way to the 10,000 shot summer challenge and now that school is out, I trust the others will have more time to catch up. This week has also seen the start of our Youth Hockey Summer Skills and Drills Program. More than twenty 12U players are joining our staff and players on Tuesdays, with the older kids going on Thursdays, for age-appropriate training and skill development during intense and fun sessions throughout the summer months. Coach Greg and Coach Alex got the ball rolling on Tuesday night and it was great to see the future Americans with smiles on their faces as they closed out their first session. The Ice Plex has some other exciting things going on this summer, including an “Adult Learn to Play” program on Wednesday nights that welcomes adults of all abilities to give hockey a try in a friendly environment. The Ice Plex can provide skates, sticks, a helmet and gloves for those who are brave enough and have always wanted to learn to play the game they love, or registered participants can get discounted equipment at our partner “Play It Again Sports”. Monday nights are Curling nights, and all are welcome to give Curling a try, as well. You can get more information on all the Ice Plex programs on their website at www.greatfallsiceplex.com.

Our Sled Hockey partners at Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation Center started up again last night (Wednesday) and will also be skating on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. It was exciting to see four new participants join some of our regulars last night as we have now had 12 different individuals with disability participate in our Sled Hockey program over the last 8 months. A special thanks go out to the volunteers picking up the slack and helping while our players are out of town. The Americans are extremely proud to have partnered with Eagle Mount to provide these opportunities and are looking forward to continued growth. If anyone is interested in helping with this worthwhile cause, either by volunteering or providing financial support through sponsorship/donations, please feel free to reach out to Matt or Eagle Mount or simply stop by the rink and check it out around 6:30 PM on Wednesdays throughout the summer.

Look for the Americans Team Bus, Booster Club members, players, staff and Baldy during the 4th of July parade in Great Falls as we show off the wonderfully wrapped bus thanks to our partnership with Great Falls Tourism. We’ll be showing off our colors, handing out candy and other goodies and encouraging our community to get excited about the 2025-26 season. We hope to have our season schedule finalized and ready to distribute by then, as well.

A few more items of note:
• We are currently running an “End of Season” clearance sale on several items (including apparel, game worn jerseys and other cool merchandise) in our merchandise store. Check out www.greatfallsamericans.shop for those items missing from your inventory that are marked down 50-75% as we clear out space for some new and unique products for the 2025-26 season.

• We will be sending out a survey to all our fans/partners later this month to gather some feedback and to find out how we can best continue to serve our fans through fan and player activation. We would very much appreciate taking 5-10 minutes of your time to complete the survey when sent.

• The Americans will be launching new jerseys for next season. Stay tuned for an official launch date and look for special activations through DASH in the coming weeks as we prepare for the 2025-26 season. Activate your account with DASH so you are ready to take advantage of all opportunities to win prizes or obtain special items from the Americans by clicking on the QR code and entering in your information.

• Chuck-a-Puck is back in Great Falls at all Americans home games! Look for more info in our July Newsletter how you can secure your pucks to chuck at discounted rates for all home games and win cash or prizes from our hometown partners.

 

Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendars:

• June 21-22 – Great Falls Americans Prospects Camp
• July 4th – Happy Birthday America and see you at the parade!
• August 15-17 – Great Falls Americans Alumni Weekend. All former players and fans are welcome
  to attend various activities culminating with an alumni game at 12:00 Noon on Sunday the 17th
• August 16^th – 3rd Annual Cornhole Extravaganza. Beacon Icehouse. Cornhole will start at 1:00 PM with the Clint Reimann band playing at 7:00 PM.
• August 18^th – Start of Great Falls Americans Pre-Season Main Camp!
• August 23^rd – 3^rd Annual Red/White Game 7:05 Ice Plex.
• September 5^th – Home opener for start of 2025-26 season.
• September 6^th – Annual GFA Tailgate party prior to the game

 

Thank you to all our existing Eagle’s Nest, Diamond and Platinum Level partners for their continued support.

 

Gold, Silver and Bronze Level Partners (* new this season)

3D International Restaurant and Lounge	All-State Signs	Annie’s Taphouse
Comparion Insurance-Todd Neighbor	Automotive Machine	Beacon Ice House
Eagle Mount Therapeutic Recreation	Benski Towing & Recovery	Big Sky Harley Davidson*
Floors & More Abbey Carpets	Big Sky Laboratory	Bravera Bank
Hoglund’s Work & Western Wear	Cascade Electric	Central Avenue Meats
Havre Youth Hockey*	Havre Ford*	Independence Bank-Havre*
Hotel Arvon-Celtic Cowboy	Central MT Lock & Safe	Century Gaming
High Plains Wealth Management*	Patrick Construction*	Shanty Bar-Havre*
Life in Bloom Floral & Gift Boutique	Coca-Cola*	Craftmaster Cabinets
Montana Air National Guard*	Culligan Water	Ferrin’s Furniture
She Bare Wax & Sugar Boutique	Great Falls Hospital	Hampton Inn & Suites
Stifel |Finnicum Financial Group	Highwood Creek Outfitters	Jersey Mike’s
Tilleraas Landscape & Nursery	Johnson Distributing	Karma Coffee*
Red;s Powersports*	Tilleman Motor Co.*	Valley Furniture*
Murphy Law	Open Door Wellness*	Play It Again Sports
Purvis Chiropractic*	Scheels	STARadio
Stockman Bank	TDS Fiber*	Teriyaki Madness
Traynor Capital	Visit Great Falls*	Westgate Repair Inc*
Mountain Title Company*	Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory*
Morse Construction*	Creative Coffee/Yogurt*

 
 Thank you for being a part of our hockey family!

Matt Leaf
Great Falls Americans HC Inc
MattL.GFAmericans@gmail.com