South Tahoe rink to be home to junior hockey

Junior hockey is coming to South Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Hockey Partners LLC gave a presentation to the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Tuesday about its plans. The city owns the ice rink, though it is operated by a private company.

Lake Tahoe Blue will play their inaugural Junior A hockey season at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena as part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the Western States Hockey League. The first preseason game is Sept. 20, with the league staring Oct. 4.

Tahoe Hockey Partners was formed by Greg Jamison and Van Oleson. The Lake Tahoe Blue team general manager is Chris Collins. Jamison is the former president and CEO of the San Jose Sharks.

“Hockey is our passion and we look forward to building a strong team and a strong fan base,” Jamison said in a statement. “We believe South Lake Tahoe will be a great hockey town for Lake Tahoe Blue and we are committed to making our team an important and fun part of this community.”

Oleson is one of the founders of Tahoe Sports Entertainment, the private corporation that operates the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena. Oleson also has a background in business development for Fortune 100 companies.

Collins is a recognized international leader in the broadcast, digital streaming, content rights and sports business industries and has been very involved in youth, junior and professional hockey organizations.