More Than Hockey | Topeka Scarecrows

By Lisa Loewen
Photos by Addison Vest

When Don Lewis first brought professional hockey back to Topeka, he was asking a community to believe that this time would be different.

A year later, the numbers back them up.

The Topeka Scarecrows, members of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, outpaced expectations during their inaugural season, averaging more than 4,000 fans per game and welcoming approximately 115,000 fans through the doors of Stormont Vail Events Center. The team also made the 2025-26 playoffs, clinching a postseason berth as the No. 4 seed, a feat unusual for a first-year team in the league.

The success was enough to secure the organization a lease extension with Stormont Vail Events Center through 2031, giving the franchise long-term stability after just one season.

For Don, however, attendance is only part of the story.

“We wanted to bring professional hockey back to Topeka,” Don said. “But really, this isn’t our team. This is the community’s team.”

That philosophy, Don adds, has become the foundation of the Scarecrows’ approach both on and off the ice.

AN EVENT, NOT JUST A GAME

Don has spent decades in professional sports, owning baseball teams throughout New York before returning to hockey in Baton Rouge. He began searching for markets with a fan base that could support a professional hockey team. After testing the local market with a series of neutral-site games that averaged close to 4,000 fans per game, Topeka emerged as an opportunity.

Those crowds convinced Don and his partners that Topeka was ready for professional hockey again. But they also knew success wouldn’t happen simply because the puck dropped.

“We’re an entertainment value,” Don said. “There’s a hockey game being played, but it’s an event at the same time.”

Pregame player introductions feature smoke, music and lights. Mascots work the crowd, and giveaways, youth performances and constant fan interaction are a part of every game.

“There are very few places where $20 will get you non-stop action and family-friendly entertainment for three hours,” Don said.

To attract more families to the games, the Topeka Scarecrows invite local school groups, choirs, bands, cheer teams and other community organizations to participate in a variety of activities, including performing the national anthem before the game and other interactive experiences during intermission.

“We want people of all ages and backgrounds to come watch us play,” Don said. “That is the beauty of hockey: it is a sport that appeals to all demographics.”

SKATING INTO THE FUTURE

During the team’s first season, Scarecrows players made more than 115 public appearances, visiting schools, nursing homes, Boys & Girls Clubs, Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations, fundraising events and hospitals. Players read to students, bagged groceries for senior citizens and delivered teddy bears, thrown onto the ice by fans during the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss, to children in local hospitals.

Don credits much of the team’s first-season success to Robbie Nichols, who served as head coach and general manager.

“Robbie is a proven winner both on and off the ice, but his leadership off the ice is truly remarkable. He takes great pride in our community and ensures that every player who steps on the ice shares that same pride for the city they represent,” Don said.

Don says Robbie works diligently to make sure the organization and its players take every opportunity to give back to the community. Robbie has stepped down as head coach for next season but will continue to guide the team as general manager.

“We are incredibly grateful to Robbie and his wife for choosing to stay and continue this incredible journey with us,” Don said. “With his leadership, we hope to achieve our ultimate goal: a championship for a hockey town in the capital city of Kansas.”

When Don arrived, growing youth hockey opportunities was among his top priorities. The team partnered with Bison Ice Sports, and this past year participation in youth hockey grew from roughly a dozen children at the beginning of the season to more than 110 by year’s end. Kids who participated in the youth hockey program also got to regularly practice beside the professional players they’d watched from the stands during Scarecrows games.

“Our players were at every practice that youth hockey had,” Don said. “On the ice, practicing with the kids. That is not something that many youth programs can boast about, and that will not change.”

Those relationships extend into game nights, when youth teams get the opportunity to play scrimmages during intermissions before thousands of fans.

“I watch those kids play and I feel like I am watching today’s young players become tomorrow’s lifelong hockey fans,” Don said.

FROM SKEPTICS TO SEASON TICKET HOLDERS

Don expected a degree of skepticism when he purchased the team. Professional hockey had previously struggled in Topeka, and many wondered why this time would be any different.

“When we first began meeting with people about sponsoring the team, they would say, ‘You won’t even have 500 fans a game by December, so what’s the point?’” Don said. “We just kept telling them we knew this endeavor would be successful, and they needed to let us prove what we can do.”

Now, many of those early skeptics have become avid supporters. Partnership revenue has already increased by more than 50% as the team prepares to enter its second season, and Don says conversations with local businesses have become much easier after proving the franchise’s staying power.

“The business community has been amazing to us,” Don said. “Every corporate or business entity that we called opened their doors and gave us the opportunity to make our pitch. I have never experienced that kind of environment before moving to Topeka.”

While Don says he’s pleased with the team’s first-season success, he won’t be satisfied with simply repeating that this next season.“Your first season, you want a good season,” he said. “Your second season should be a great season. Your third season needs to be an excellent season. That’s the trajectory we plan to be on.”

The organization expects to move from breaking even financially during its first year to profitability this season while continuing to expand corporate partnerships, increase attendance and strengthen community connections.

“Our goal is to start this season with 1,500 season ticket holders,” Don said. “Our highest attendance last year was 6,712. We want that to be our average attendance this year.”

For Don, it’s about more than wins, losses or ticket sales. He says that by investing in youth hockey, encouraging players to become active members of the community and creating affordable family entertainment, the Scarecrows hope to create a lasting legacy in Topeka.

“We want to be here for the long term,” Don said. “After all, Topeka is a hockey town.”