Summer roller hockey is right around the corner and we're excited to kick things off with our Rinkster Pro sponsored teams around North America. Check in on the latest news and updates for our men's and women's pro teams competing at Torhs, NARCh and State Wars.
Torhs
The Professional roller hockey circuit kicks off officially at the 2023 Torhs Nationals in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Pro action takes place from June 23rd to June 25th with the Rinkster Inferno looking to make some noise in a deep 13-team Pro series division. Though the team will look a little different from the previous Rinkster Pro team that took home the title in 2021, this new team led by Tristan Lapinski, Austin and Ryan Soboslay will be ready to battle for the $10,000 cash prize.
NARCh
NARCh finals heads back to Southern California for a 300+ team tournament with games played in Irvine and Corona. The Men's Pro division will take place from July 13th to 15th with the Rinkster Pro team representing as one of 14 invited teams. On the women's side, the Rinkster Factory Team looks to conquer the 8 team Women's Pro division.
Men's Pro Preview
The Rinkster Men's Pro team will be led by savvy veteran Juaquin Chavira on the back end, supported by Jake Townsend who was recently named a PIHA Pro MVP. In net, the team will look to Nick Wydock returning to the Rinkster after previously serving as the backup on the State Wars Pama Pro Champs team back in 2018, filling in for the team's regular goalie Joel Eisenhower. The team will lean on Hungarian-import David Jansco for offensive firepower. Jansco is coming off a hot season in the French Ligue Elite, where he was named an All-Star and MVP in the Coupe de France. In addition, at forward the team has 2021 NARCh Skills Faster Skater and current ECHL-player Paul Boutoussov skating alongside his brother Michael of the UNLV ice hockey team.
Tristan Lapinski, Austin Soboslay, and Ryan Soboslay are additions to this year's NARCh team coming from the Rinkster Inferno team playing earlier in the month at Torhs. Tristan had two big game-winning-goals at Winter Wars Pro for the Rinkster team back in February.
Women's Pro Preview
The Women's team has a very similar roster as past years, but adding some new blood with sniper forward Tia Stoddard and a familiar face with Allison Era holding down the D-zone. This is the second year that NARCh is hosting a Women's Pro division and though the Rinkster Factory Team wasn't officially entered in last years tournament, 7 players from this year's roster won the Championship with the Black Ice Women's team in 2022. The women's team looks to build off a successful Winter Nationals where they took home the trophy in the championships with a big overtime goal scored by forward Vanessa Ventura.
As a side note - watch out for the newly formed Rinkster Jr Girls program making their debut at NARCh this year with 4 teams competing across 3 girls and women's divisions.
State Wars Pama Pro Invitational
The State Wars Pama Pro Invitational is always one of the most hyped events of the professional summer roller hockey circuit. With over $25,000 in cash prizing - $20,000 to the Champions, $5,000 to second place and prizing awarded for each regulation and playoff win - the tournament always draws some of the best talent from around the world. The Pama Pro invitational is always an interesting one, happening just one week after NARCh the momentum leading into this tournament is always strong. The team will look to reclaim the title they captured back in 2018.
The Rinkster team roster will look very similar to that of NARCh Finals, with Joel Einsenhower back in net and his brother Sam up front. In addition, Team USA forward Ryan Marker will be joining the team in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The Rinkster Factory Women's team will also be heading to Fort Wayne to play in the Women's AAA division after taking a year off from the tournament. The roster will keep the same look from NARCh and carry that momentum from So Cal to the Mid West.
Be sure to follow along on Instagram @Rinkster.Hockey for updates on our Rinkster-supported Pro teams all summer long!