A coed street hockey league is coming to Germantown this March.

The Washington Capitals announced on Tuesday that they are launching the Capitals Street Hockey League at three locations: Ridge Road Recreational Park in Germantown, Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, Virginia, and Francis C. Hammond Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia.

Ice hockey is booming in the D.C. area, with the number of local athletes registered with USA Hockey increasing more than 186% since 2005-06, Alex Ovechkin’s rookie season. With the interest there, the Capitals have sought out new ways to bring hockey to more kids in the community.

“We wanted to switch the focus to provide some more opportunities, some safer spaces, some more accessible hockey,” said Andrew Nash, the Capitals’ manager of youth hockey development.

The Capitals started their off-ice initiatives in 2021 after revamping street hockey facilities across the area, including Ridge Road Park and Dewey Local Park in Silver Spring, in 2019. They’ve had over 10,000 kids participate in clinics, Nash said, prompting them to take the next step to create a dedicated league.

“It’s still a new thing, off-ice hockey is a big buzz among the National Hockey League and amongst its clubs,” Nash said. “It’s not as popular as ice hockey, so we really kind of framed it as these last four years building a base, and now we have this league. The hope is that this league will continue to help skyrocket even more interest in off-ice hockey and street hockey specifically.”

The league is open to ages 5 to 12. There will be three age divisions: U6, U8 and U12. No prior hockey experience or gear is required.

Play will take place from March to May. Teams will practice once during the week and play two games per weekend for the eight weeks of the season. Each team will have between six and 10 players.

“It doesn’t have to be competitive. It’s a league, so yes, the hope is that it’s a fun, competitive place to play,” Nash said. “But it’s just an outlet for kids. It’s an outlet for kids to stay active, and it’s another option for families to take part in.”

Registration is now open and interested players can register on the Capitals Youth Hockey Development Website. The price ranges from $149 to $179, depending on location.

The Capitals youth hockey and street hockey programs have more than 30 options, including clinics and school programs across the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland region.