The new Executive Director of the Avalon Arena Association—which operates the Twin Rinks and Capital Subaru arena—says exploring opportunities for expansion is among his main priorities.

Ken O’Leary admits that he had to take some personal time to regroup following the untimely demise of the Newfoundland Growlers in early April.

He explored a few possibilities on the mainland in the Q and AHL, but in the end, decided that he wanted to be home, which is when the Avalon Arena opportunity came up.

With demand for ice time increasing, O’Leary says he wants to focus on opportunities to expand on the availability of ice in the capital city.

“The past three weeks that I’ve been here, I’ve been going over those things,” O’Leary tells VOCM News. “You know, how can we help other rinks? Or, is there opportunity where we can add another ice pad? And a lot of times the answer to that question is ‘yes’.” He says it’s just a matter of “finding the suitors, and the stakeholders that want to help us out, and make it a reality.”