A smile shone through Jack Johanson’s hockey mask as he celebrated his sixth goal Sunday.

The six-year-old wearing a vintage Los Angeles Kings’ Gretzky jersey threw his hands in the air before skating over to the bench where his dad, Brandon, was waiting with a fist bump and a shot of hydration.

Johanson was one of 25 young hockey players on the ice at the Canada Games Centre Sunday afternoon, taking advantage of a Try Hockey event hosted by the Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association (WMHA).

“This is the best thing I’ve seen up here for sports,” said Brandon Johanson. “(Jack) was super pumped to play. He had a great time, and so did I.”

The fun event was held for boys and girls who have never before played minor hockey, giving them more than an hour of free ice time. Of the 25 players on the ice, eight were girls.

Additionally, 15 of the young players took advantage of equipment provided by the WMHA.

Donning equipment for the first time appeared to cause some balance issues for the youngsters, many of whom dropped to the ice after shots.

They always bounced up smiling, however.

Newly-elected WMHA president Justin Halowaty said the event was put on to give players and parents a chance to give the sport a try before purchasing gear.

“The new board is trying to increase registration,” Halowaty told the Star. “With more people playing, we hope to have more teams and more fun in house league in order to ultimately provide Yukon Hockey with more numbers as they get to the peewee-bantam level.”

Last year, about 400 players made up 26 teams in house league. Similar numbers are expected this year.

Registration remains open until Friday, after which a $25 late fee will be implemented. Visit www.whitehorseminorhockey.ca/.