The reality is, without billets, junior hockey wouldn’t be possible. When you have 16-20 year old players, they can’t exactly live on their own. So, where do they stay? You can’t put them up in the Holiday Inn, so that’s where the host families come in. Ice Wolves owner Stan Hubbard says they’re vital, “Host Families are the lifeblood of junior hockey and junior hockey is the path to NCAA hockey, which is the goal of all our players. With the support of our host families, almost all of our players are achieving their goals of playing NCAA hockey and getting a great education, too.”

Stan isn’t just talking, he leads by example, his family are billets as well, “We’ve had players staying in our home since we started and they’ve all been great to have as part of the family. They’ve been tremendous role models to our boys and we look forward to more as this season gets underway.” Stan continued, “During the Covid lockdowns, we always had 4 or 5 players in a rotation. When players caught Covid or someone in their host family did, we always brought the players to our house to get through the quarantine period. Looking back, that was a fun year with so many nice young men in our home and part of our family.”

Nicole Bazzano’s family has seen nothing but positives in their experience, “Being a billet family has affected my family in so many positive ways. We have built lifelong bonds and relationships with these players and their families. My daughter is more motivated to be a better goalie and do better in school to reach her goals, because she sees these guys working hard and being committed to hockey. We communicate as a family unit more, we eat meals together and spend more time together at games or events.” She continued, “I was concerned that I have a young tween daughter and was worried about how that would work having a young man at the house. I was also concerned about connecting with the player and getting over the awkward phase of not knowing each other and how to approach uncomfortable conversations. Overall, the players are focused, motivated and respectful, they have a purpose and a goal and they understand the situation they are coming into as far as joining a family, they typically jump right in and take the time to get to know you, bond with the family and are respectful to your house and rules.”

The recurring theme here from everyone I’ve talked to seems to be one word, positive. Jessica Reinhardt’s family is entering their fourth season as a host family, she says it’s been almost life changing. “Being a billet has affected my family in many positive ways. We are providing a home away from home and helping them pursue their dreams while helping the community. It has been an extremely fulfilling experience and has helped us create bonds within the hockey world.” She said, “Being a billet is more than just providing a safe place for the hockey players to live. It is about creating a supporting environment, creating lifelong memories and being able to open your family and heart to a new family member. It is a very rewarding and fun experience.”

Billets are important for all Junior teams, not just the Ice Wolves. Anna Perrott and Jonathan Garcia are entering their third season as billets for the rival El Paso Rhinos. Being in the military, when Jonathan was transferred to Fort Bliss in El Paso, billeting made the transition easier. “Billeting has been an amazing and a positive experience. We weren’t happy about moving to a new duty station, hockey and billeting was our saving grace. You get attached to these players and you truly become a family.” Anna says the concerns were minimal, “We didn’t have a lot of concerns going into it. We had such an amazing experience with our first year with our two boys, who we still talk to every week.” They continued, “We knew we’d definitely continue to billet. I have a dear friend who has billeted for many years and if I ever needed advice I’d go to her. I actually say she’s my billet mom too. If I could give any advice it would be to have fun. We break the ice by playing board games when a new billet moves on and we love our game nights. We try to really make our boys feel like part of the family.”

Kelly Erramouspe was in a unique position last season. She has been the Billet Coordinator in El Paso for 14 years, her son Trey played 3 seasons for the NA3HL Rhinos until he was traded to the Gillette Wild who ultimately traded him to the Ice Wolves. “Having Trey playing for another team, especially a rival so close to us was definitely interesting. Both teams were actually very supportive during the season. There was definitely some trash talking, but it was all in fun. Since I’ve been the billet coordinator for 14 years in El Paso I’ve learned a lot about the hockey culture and that most of the people associated with these teams are in it for the betterment of the players.” She continued, “Trey’s billets in Albuquerque were very supportive and gave him a very nice place to recuperate and recharge. I feel a good billet family makes all the difference in helping with the success of these hockey players. With good host families, it brings a great team. I think that’s why I’ve been doing this for so long in El Paso.

Hosting players also gives us a chance to show all the great things our respective cities have to offer.”

When it came to starting the host family program, Stan says it went easier than it should have, “Looking back, we should have been more concerned about finding enough great host families to open their homes to players. We were fortunate to have Nathan Armijo take on the task of building our program he really built a great foundation for our organization. I say he did it with the help of Kevin Hartzell, he’s been involved with junior hockey at the highest levels for nearly 50 years as a player, coach and most recently as a senior advisor to the NM Ice Wolves. We’re thrilled that he’s coming out of retirement to coach this season. Players, coaches, host families and fans are going to love what he brings to our organization.” Stan continued, “As our first season was getting underway in the fall of 2019, the question I was asked most by fellow owners was how we were doing with host families. When I answered that we were doing well and all our players were in good homes, they were universally surprised because I guess it was supposed to be harder than it was. Fortunately, we have a very committed hockey community here in Albuquerque and we’ve been lucky to have great coordinators to lead the program with Nathan Armijo, Jerry Hancock and now Greg Bronson and Tina Tomlin. People like Karen Schoepke and Erin Langenwalter, among others have also been incredibly helpful.”

Kelly

Greg Bronson and Tina Tomlin are the current Billet Coordinators for the Ice Wolves, Greg says helping the players achieve their dreams is their goal. “Hockey has been a significant part of my life since childhood. Helping a young man pursue his education and hockey dreams is meaningful for both of us. The best part is the friendships we build with our players and his families and the knowledge that we are small part of supporting their dreams.” He continued, “After hosting an exceptional player for two years, the previous coordinator approached us to take on the coordinator role. Tina and I reflected on our positive experience. After discussions with Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard, we decided we wanted to be part of the Ice Wolves Family.”

The process to become a host family is thorough, even if potential billets have concerns, Greg and Tina can ensure there really is nothing to worry about. “We begin with questionnaires for both the host family and the player, we then visit potential host homes to assess sleeping, dining, and facility arrangements. Once a home meets our requirements, all household members must complete Safesport training and a USA Hockey Background check. Our goal is to ensure the player’s safety and to match them with a caring host family that supports their dreams.” They continued, “Our coaches have established requirements of both the players and the host families. The organization has made it clear to players that they are expected to respect the host families home and members of the family. As host family coordinators we encourage all host families to quickly set ground rules for their homes, noting coaches player requirements. Essentially, ‘Their homes, their rules’.”https://hhof.com/general/donate.html

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Host Families in Albuquerque get some nice benefits, like a 15% discount on all regular priced NM Ice Wolves merchandise and other items at the official team store inside Chilly’s Pro Shop as well as a 15% discount from Center Ice Grill. El Paso host families get complimentary tickets, billets for both teams receive a monthly compensation, paid by the players’ families. Teams all over the country are always in need of billets. If you ever wanted to get involved in the sport, this is a special way that can build life long bonds. If you are interested in becoming a host family in El Paso contact Kelly at 915-526-8506, in Albuquerque you can reach out to Greg or Tina at hostfamilies@nmicewolves.com.