The Casper Roughnecks are ready to bring Semi-Pro Hockey back to the Oil City

Casper, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – The oil town is getting a new semi-pro hockey league as the Casper Roughnecks are coming to town.

Roughnecks head coach and team owner Danny Randall is looking forward to bringing hockey back to Casper.

Randall said: You know, Casper had been on my list for a while, just… I like the population, the size of the town, the fact that they used to have juniors. You know I’m just excited for a community that seems like they want hockey there.

The Casper Rec Center comes alive in the fall when the Roughnecks play at the Casper Ice Arena.

They are part of the United States Premier Hockey League in the Northwest Division.

They were originally the Rock Springs Prospectors before being bought out by Rock Springs and this eventually led to Coach Randall moving the team to Casper.

Last season, the Prospectors finished third in the Northwest Division with a 15-27-2 record that landed them in the playoffs. They lose in the first round of the USPHL playoffs.

The Roughnecks may be a new team coming to town, but their mission is to help the community.

He said, “These young men are… They’re here for hockey, but if they can do something for the community that supports them, I’ve got 27 talented bodies, young men who are doing their best, don’t get me wrong. I’m also going to be in every of these events.

Speaking of community, Randall wants to make the first home game they have free to the public.

He said: The opening night is free for the city of Casper. Tickets cost nothing. I want to try to get as many people in the building as possible and just get people excited.

One of Coach Randall’s most important things is not only developing the players’ skills, but also their character.

He talked about how he is on the ice, saying: Inside the glass I’m pretty intense, outside I’m cooler, but I like to compete… I’m also there to make them better hockey players, but also better men.

Coach Randall and the Roughnecks are very excited about Casper and want to help the Casper community in any way they can.

The Roughnecks are looking for host families for their players. If you can help, you can go to their website at http://casperroughnecks.hockeyshift.com/ to enquire, as well as people to come down to help with game day operations and manage their social media accounts.

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