If You Build It They Will Come
Nicholas Sportsplex in Mount Prospect, Illinois celebrates athletics, youth hockey excellence, and most importantly, community.
A half hour drive west of Chicago can take you to the nearby suburban village of Mount Prospect, where the recently constructed Nicholas Sportsplex stands as one of the preeminent ice arenas in the state.
Nick Papanicholas Jr., owner of the Nicholas Sportsplex, said that his family saw a need in the northwest suburbs for additional sheets of ice and Mount Prospect was targeted for the location.
Nick and his siblings, also owners of the Sportsplex, grew up in Mount Prospect. Their devotion to their hometown community was instilled in them by their father, Nick Papanicholas Sr., prior to his passing in December of 2016.
“He really gave a lot to the community. He coached baseball, football, and basketball for 20 years in the area,” Nick explained. “This project and the facility were not constructed for a financial return, it’s an emotional return for us, and my dad would be really proud to see the vibrancy of the programming. It’s busy, and families are enjoying the experience.”
What began in 2016 as two ice rinks called the Mount Prospect Ice Arena, developed into a much larger all-encompassing sports complex that is a one-stop shop for many elite young athletes in Chicago’s northwest suburbs.
In 2019, a multipurpose gym was built across the street to accommodate the older level players who were looking for off-ice amenities such as weight training and conditioning. In addition, a turf field was added to the Sportsplex in the spring
of 2020.
“We look to provide excellent facilities and services,” said Ryan Zanon, the Sportsplex’s manager of operations and program scheduling. “We have a very large Tier 2 (hockey) club, the Northwest Chargers, that has continued to grow since partnering with us. Having these facilities is a huge draw for a club like that.”
Saint Viator High School, alma mater of the Papanicholas siblings, Notre Dame College Prep, and the local high schools’ combined hockey team (PREP Hockey Club) are some of the original partners of the Mount Prospect Ice Arena. “It’s nice that we’re accommodating the high school players from a number of larger-sized schools in the area,” Ryan said. These original partners helped to pave the way for an on-property expansion.
The Sportsplex is also the home of Hornets Sled Hockey, an organization comprised of players with physical disabilities who are determined to play ice hockey.
In September of 2020, USA Hockey granted former Falcons Hockey Association president Steven Dry approval for a Tier I charter. Steven founded the Reapers Hockey Association, which became the fifth Tier I hockey program in the state.
However, without a home arena that was up to the standards required by a top-level youth hockey program, the Reapers management met with the Sportsplex owners to discuss building a new, dedicated rink. The third ice sheet became a reality in only seven months.
“The arena’s unbelievable. For kids, or even if it were a practice facility for the pros, it’s first class and we’re really appreciative of having it,” said Niko Dimitrakos, former NHL forward and Reapers coach. “They built us a beautiful locker room for the kids and a video room. They have an academic lounge built-in for the players if they want to do their homework. It’s beautiful, and it’s wonderful to be able to call it our home rink.”
“When you have a facility that has three hockey sheets, pro turf fields, and a phenomenal workout facility, you can start hosting tournaments,” Steven said. “That brings business to the community as well. The Papanicholas family has been phenomenal for the community in redeveloping their uptown area.”
The Sportsplex has become a sports campus with a collegiate-type experience that offers community programming, Nick explained. “Yes, we have three sheets of ice, but we also have a multi-use synthetic turf field, and we partnered with Illinois Bone and Joint on the sports development center at which all the dryland strength and conditioning for the athletes takes place. When parents bring their kids, you drop them off at one location and they can check a lot of boxes. Separate from that, we also have a Bricks Wood Fired Pizza in there so the kids can get sandwiches and salads and healthier snacks. Not fried food. Life is busy, so we’re just trying to make the experience as quality as it can be.”
written by David P. Stein for the Nicholas Sportsplex