Ice hockey facility opens in Blairsville, Ga.
Don Whalen – owner of The Sticks Ice Arena in Blairsville, Ga. – pictured on the ice at his facility. Photo by Cannon Crompton/sports@cherokeescout.com
Blairsville, Ga. – Hockey fans rejoice, as a private ice hockey facility is now open in Blairsville, Ga.
The Sticks Ice Arena makes the sport accessible to those in the North Georgia and far western North Carolina area.
The Sticks – just south of downtown Blairsville – opened to registered participants who are interested in ice hockey.
They offer private learn to ice skate lessons and ice hockey training for adults and youth, as well as specialized goaltender training.
The facility is not open for public skating like a traditional ice rink, but offers classes and lessons at the facility.
Owner Don Whalen’s background in ice hockey started at a young age. He grew up in Canada and started playing hockey and skating when he was a kid.
Whalen and his family moved to Georgia and he coached his kids in hockey. He also coached his son’s high school team to a state championship in 2024.
They recently moved to the Blairsville area and he decided to build the ice rink. The facility opened in November of 2025 and has been hosting classes ever since.
The facility features a 40-foot by 80-foot ice rink, which is roughly a quarter of the size of a traditional rink.
Whalen emphasized the learn to ice skate class they have as a gateway for kids to learn how to play hockey.
Whalen said that ice skating was a key part of his childhood. He spent most Friday nights at the ice rink skating growing up. He said that he wants to share that aspect of his childhood with the people in the North Georgia area.
“It’s something different. Like I said, the kids need something there. Not just the kids up here, but the adults too,” Whalen said.
“We’ve got some adults learning alongside the kids. It’s a community thing. I’ve met so many interesting people already in such a short amount of time,” he said.
Whalen said that he enjoys when people first walk into the facility and see the ice rink.
He said that in the future, he hopes to expand their classes, host open skates and even start a youth team.
One thing Whalen wanted to share is that hockey is not as expensive as some people may think.
In recent years, ice skates have come down in price, especially for kids and basic, entry-level skates.
To learn more, visit The Sticks Ice Arena – Blairsville, GA on Facebook. To register for classes, visit tinyurl.com/26dwp2ed.
Hockey in the area
The closest ice rink for hockey to The Sticks is The Ice in Cumming, Ga. — a roughly 90-minute drive away.
The only other ice rinks in the area are seasonal winter-time rinks or just public skating rinks.
For more opportunities for ice hockey, those interested would have to venture to the Atlanta or Nashville areas.
Rinks in those areas include the Atlanta Iceforum in Duluth, Ga. — the former practice facility of the Atlanta Thrashers and currently practice facility of the Atlanta Gladiators — or the Centennial Sportsplex and Ford Ice Center in the Nashville area that are facilities utilized by the Nashville Predators.
Hockey has had a mixed history in the south with ups and downs.
Atlanta is one of three cities to have had multiple National League Hockey teams. Quebec City in Canada is one of the three teams who have had teams, but do not currently have a NHL team. The other city is Montreal in Canada, who now have the Montreal Canadiens.
First, the Atlanta Flames played in Atlanta from 1972-1980. They played their home games at Omni Coliseum.
The Flames then relocated to Calgary in Canada and became the Calgary Flames.
The NHL returned to Atlanta in 1999 with the Thrashers, who then relocated to Winnipeg in Canada in 2011.
The NHL also has teams in the south in Nashville and Raleigh, as well as two Florida teams in Tampa Bay and Sunrise, just outside of Fort Lauderdale.
The Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh won the 2025-26 Stanley Cup to earn their second franchise championship.
Outside of the NHL, the Atlanta Gladiators in Duluth, Ga., are a third tier professional team. There are also other minor league teams spread throughout the southeast.
The Atlanta area is poised to once again get a NHL team, as developers and potential owners have come together to push for a team in the area.
They would not play at State Farm Arena where the Thrashers played, but would instead move North of the city to Forsyth County.
They have proposed a multi-use facility similar to The Battery in Cobb County where the Atlanta Braves stadium is.
If NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman chooses Atlanta for the next set of expansion teams, the team would join the Montreal Canadiens as one of two cities to have a third NHL team.