Bullfrog Coach Surprised That This Sport’s in Style : Roller hockey: Sonier watches team draw an average of nearly 10,000. Franchise also runs youth camps.

Bullfrog Coach Grant Sonier sits in his office and marvels at the growth of roller hockey.

“Three years ago, if someone had told me that I would be coaching roller hockey full time, I would have laughed,” Sonier said. “In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I would give up ice hockey. But that’s how much I believe in this.”

County residents also are committed to the up-and-coming sport.

Last season, the Bullfrogs drew an average of nearly 10,000 to each home game at The Pond.

Seeing that fervent support, Sonier and the Bullfrogs are doing everything to help area communities nurture the sport. The Bullfrogs’ off-season staff has spent most of its weekends working at clinics or speaking to kids and adults thirsting for roller hockey counsel.

“We’ve been swamped,” assistant coach Brad McCaughey said. “When we talk to the kids, we stress safety, wearing the proper equipment. . . . . We also stress education and staying in school. I know I’m not working full time here just because I played hockey.”

McCaughey, who spent some time in the Kings’ minor league system, graduated from Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and communications. He helps Sonier with front-office duties during the off-season.

Sonier resigned as coach with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, one of the top junior ice hockey leagues, to become full-time coach and director of hockey operations for the Bullfrogs.

“Working with the kids is a priority we made in the off-season,” Sonier said. “Youth development will produce the future players of tomorrow.”

The Bullfrogs have offered several youth camps during the past two seasons and have their first off-season camp planned during the upcoming spring break. Kids 8-17 can participate in the daily camp April 10-14 at Stuart’s Rollerworld in Fullerton.

“The team is flattered that people are coming to us and seeking our expertise,” Sonier said, “and every one of the 20 teams in our league should be accessible to their communities. We just don’t want to spread ourselves too thin because when we do something, we want to do a bang-up job.”

That hasn’t been a problem for the Bullfrogs.

The Anaheim franchise won the Roller Hockey International championship in 1993, the league’s first season. Last season, the Bullfrogs finished third in the Pacific Division, but they advanced to the Western Conference finals before losing to the Portland Rage.

Both seasons, the Bullfrogs led the league in attendance. They drew an average of 9,885 in 14 home dates last season. More than 1.1-million fans attended 264 regular-season RHI games--an average of 4,292--last season.

The craze also has hooked McCaughey.

“When I came out here for that first season, I said ‘Roller hockey, what the hell is this about?’ ” McCaughey said. “But to see how the sport has grown is not surprising. There are too many good things about it. I think it’s really going to go.”

That belief is consistent throughout the organization.

Two years ago when Bullfrogs owner Maury Silver joined the league, he wanted the Anaheim franchise because he knew of the sport’s growth potential in Orange County.

His son, Stuart, has since opened two roller skating-hockey rinks in Fullerton and Orange; his other son, Nelson, is the Bullfrogs’ president.

Although the Bullfrogs’ fan interest and profile is low compared to major sports franchises such as the Mighty Ducks, team officials share the optimism the sport will eventually take hold on an even more widespread basis.

“It’s a pretty big snowball rolling down the hill,” Sonier said. “Now, our job is to keep all of those people interested in the sport. I think we’re giving roller hockey a foundation so it won’t just be a fad.”