It has been just over 18 months since the official announcement that Worcester would be the home of a new East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) expansion team. The February 2016 announcement came close to a year after it was reported that the Worcester Sharks were leaving Worcester for San Jose, Calif.

Fast-forward to September, and we are getting closer to October’s opening night for the Worcester Railers Hockey Club.

“It’s been a really busy year,” said Head Coach Jamie Russell, a sentiment echoed by club President Mike Myers, who spent nine years with the Worcester Sharks. With the season fast approaching, Russell, Myers and the rest of the Railers staff are pushing full steam ahead to make sure everything goes according to plan.

A major part of this plan is hand-selecting which players to sign and bring into the organization. “We have the ability to put together a culture of winning at this level because we have control over our roster,” said Myers. “This is something not all teams in the ECHL have control over.”

Because the ECHL is primarily a development league, many teams are given their players from their AHL and NHL affiliates. One of the many perks of working with the New York Islanders and Bridgeport Sound Tigers, as well as being a new team, is that The Railers will have full control over the roster.

“Working with the Islanders and Bridgeport Sound has been great,” Myers said. “They were all in from day one. A lot of teams wanted to talk about it but weren’t as prepared. That really stuck out to us and made it a very easy decision.” This, combined with the proximity to both Brooklyn – home of the Islanders – and Bridgeport Sound, has made for a close and effective relationship between the Railers and their affiliates.

After meeting with officials from both affiliate programs over the winter, Russell has spent much of the summer on the road, scouting, evaluating and signing players to ECHL contracts. One commonality between the Railers and other teams within the league is that the roster will be made up of players at many different points in their hockey careers.

“Some of the guys are rookies, right out of college. Others are veterans from the AHL or Europe,” Russell said. Though just weeks away from opening night, The Railers are still piecing together the roster. Russell hopes that Worcester is a place where players will want to lay down roots and that fans will watch them develop into future stars.

From the front office and coaching staff all the way down to the players, The Railers organization is optimistic that Worcester will be an attractive place to play. With construction nearly completed on the new Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, as well as the development of the new Railers Tavern, the top-notch facilities are a major draw. Though not a part of the original plan, the new ice center plays a significant role in The Railers’ vision going forward.

“City officials brought this to the table very early on, and we just ran with it,” said Myers. While the rink will serve as a state-of-the-art practice facility for the team (games will be DCU Center), many within the program feel it represents much more. Myers is quick to point out, “We are not just a team, we are Worcester’s hockey club.”

Myers said part of this model involves having stake and ownership in Worcester, both downtown and in the Canal District, which twill bring The Railers closer to the community. Many of the club’s plans were crafted, in part, to help with community development and revitalization.

The Railers’ flagship program, Skate to Success, is testament to that commitment. With an official rollout for the program coming this fall, the club hopes to using skating and hockey as a fun form of exercise that will get kids in Worcester’s public schools out of their comfort zone and give them the opportunity to try something new.

“The school system has been really helpful. We are very excited about this,” said Myers.

Though the puck has yet to drop, The Railers organization has high hopes for its inaugural season.

“Our goal is to win a Kelly Cup,” Russell said. “We want to win in Worcester, and we want to develop players, and I think those two things can go hand-in-hand.”

Myers was quick to point out, “Worcester deserves a winner. We want to win here.”

Join the Worcester Railers Hockey Club for opening night, Oct. 14, at The DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester, as they take on the Manchester Monarchs. For tickets and information, visit
railershc.com.

Kyle Sullivan