It’s become the classic “growing up hockey” story for countless future NHL players: a frozen pond in a tiny Canadian town or the coldest parts of Minnesota. Hockey has always celebrated its myths, and few are more prevalent than kids trying to squeeze out a couple more minutes of play amid the snowflakes.



Growing up in the sweltering heat of Anaheim Hills, Calif., young Cam York seemingly had little chance of playing out that particular myth. Then his parents took a long look at their new house’s backyard and had a stroke of inspiration: What about a roller hockey rink?



“You get into hockey, and as a West Coast family, you look at pond hockey and how cool that is,” York’s father, Jeff, said. “It’s a special sport, no doubt. We thought, we have the property here that we can do it.”



Suddenly, 5-year-old Cam and his two older brothers didn’t have to play in the driveway or travel to a rink. They...