The search for America’s most passionate hockey community has returned and is officially underway in 2016.  Hockey communities throughout the U.S. have a chance to win $150,000 in arena upgrades, to host an NHL pre-season game and be named “Kraft Hockeyville USA 2016”.

 “Our first Kraft Hockeyville in the U.S. last year was a tremendous success that truly ignited the passion of hockey communities across the country,” said Nina Barton, senior vice president of marketing for Kraft Heinz. “The spirit and tradition in Johnstown – last year’s winning community – demonstrated to America what Kraft Hockeyville is really all about. Now, as Kraft Heinz, we’re eager to once again celebrate the pride of local hockey communities and help build the sport by providing much needed awareness and financial support for local rinks.”

Last year’s Kraft Hockeyville contest featured one Minnesota’s youth hockey associations as a finalist. The St. Michael-Albertville Youth Hockey Association (STMYHA) was selected as a Top 10 finalist and with the support of the entire Minnesota Hockey community, STMAYHA made it all the way to the Top 4, eventually earning much needed funds for arena upgrades.

"We're excited to again be part of making Kraft Hockeyville USA come to life," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "We encourage everyone associated with USA Hockey to share their stories as to why their home rink should earn the title of Kraft Hockeyville USA in 2016."

How Kraft Hockeyville USA Works

Like a hockey game, Kraft Hockeyville USA has three periods. In the first period, communities across the country are encouraged to enter by sharing unique stories about their local rink, teams, hockey spirit and passion and submitting their nominations now through March 11, 2016, at www.KraftHockeyville.com, where complete contest rules and nomination applications are available.

Ten community finalists will be chosen to kick off the second action-packed period, which includes three rounds of public voting:

Round 1 (April 12-14, 2016) – Top four communities chosen to move on to the next round; remaining six each receive $10,000 toward arena upgrades.

Round 2 (April 19-20, 2016) – Top two finalists selected; remaining two each receive $25,000 toward arena upgrades.

Round 3 (April 25-26, 2016) – One community will emerge as “Kraft Hockeyville USA” 2016; runner-up will receive $75,000 toward arena upgrades.

In the final period, the winning community will be announced – on April 30, 2016 – and receive the grand prize of the chance to host an NHL® Pre-Season game televised on NBCSN, as well as  $150,000  in arena upgrades from Kraft Heinz.

For contest rules, information on nominating your community and complete program details, visit www.KraftHockeyville.com. Kraft Hockeyville USA can also be found at Facebook.com/KraftHockeyvilleUSA and on Twitter (@HockeyvilleUSA). You can join the conversation using #HockeyvilleUSA.

The Kraft Hockeyville USA contest is made possible by an all-star roster of partners, including Kraft Heinz, USA Hockey, National Hockey League Players’ Association, National Hockey League and NBC Sports Group.