LONG ISLAND CITY — The next Henrik Lundqvist might get his or her start in Hunters Point.
An ice hockey rink opened in the neighborhood earlier this month to serve as a training facility for players looking to improve their skills, according to the owners.
Long Island City ICE, or L.I.C.-ICE, is located in a former warehouse on 46th Road off of Vernon Boulevard.
The facility features a 2,300-square-foot indoor ice rink where coaches train players of all ages — including kids — who already have experience with the sport, according to trainer Jim Iucci.
"Hockey kids in New York City are starving for ice," said Iucci, who's been coaching hockey for 10 years.
"New York City has several ice rinks that operate year round, but they're often split between figure skaters, public skating, hockey," he said. "[It's a] constant war between the ice rink world."
L.I.C.-ICE serves just ice hockey players, with training both on the ice as well as off — the facility includes a gym space where athletes get fitness training that Iucci compared to a light version of CrossFit.
"You come, you train and we can build a program around you," he said.
Demand has been strong, with more than 300 players training at the facility since it opened about six weeks ago, Iucci said.
The rink's regular program — where players receive 29 two-hour training sessions over the course of three months for $1,500, or about $51 a session — is fully booked until June.
But Iucci says they plan to offer drop-in training clinics throughout the spring, with prices that are still being determined. Anyone interested can register on the rink's website for updates.
While L.I.C.-ICE is focusing just on experienced hockey players for the time being, he said they may offer beginner skate lessons some time down the road, based on the number of requests he's received from the community.
"There's so many people stopping by that want to put their kids on skates and get them involved in the sport," he said.
