WORCESTER - The owner of the Worcester Railers Hockey Club has become an investor and developer in the plan to build two hockey rinks on property in the Canal District.

Cliff Rucker of Danvers said the $12 million to $15 million project is a joint effort between him and the project's initial developer, Marathon Sports Group.

The Worcester Business Development Corp., which is demolishing the former PresMet Corp. buildings at Harding and Winter streets and cleaning up contamination at the site, has signed a 50-year land lease with Worcester Sports Center LLC.

The WBDC, which bought the property in December for $10, is preparing the site for construction, said Craig L. Blais, WBDC president and chief executive. The WBDC will spend about $2.5 million to remove contaminants and demolish the buildings on the site. The Worcester Sports Center group will design and build the 100,000-square-foot facility, which will have two full-size skating rinks and about 40,000 square feet of retail space.

Worcester Sports Center LLC consists of Mr. Rucker and a principal of Marathon Sports Group, Scott Rouisse. Two local banks, Fidelity Bank of Leominster and Bay State Bank of Worcester, provided financing for the deal. An earlier plan had Marathon Sports Group as the sole owner and developer. Now, Marathon Sports will be the builder of the rink.

Mr. Rucker said the rinks will be used for practices by the Railers, and will be rented to youth, high school, college teams, and adult leagues for games, practices and tournaments. The Railers will host hockey clinics and camps at the facility. Mr. Rucker said he hopes the rinks will become a hub of year-round hockey activity. The Railers will also sell team gear in some of the facility's retail space, he said. One thing he does not intend to do is launch a Railers junior hockey club, as he does not want to interfere with existing youth hockey leagues in Central Massachusetts.

The developers will formally present the plan to the Planning Board May 18, where they will seek site plan approval. The facility, on 3.5 acres at Winter and Harding streets, was originally expected to be completed in 2017, and that plan is still realistic, Mr. Rucker said.

In a separate deal, Mr. Rucker has signed a purchase and sale for the former Bar FX at 90 Commercial St., next to the DCU Center. The bar will be converted into a Railers hockey-themed sports bar that will be a place for fans to gather before and after games, he said. The deal will not close until the Zoning Board of Appeals rules on a special permit request scheduled to be heard next week, he said.

"I don't know if it will be called the Railers Sports Bar, or Railers Pub, or whatever, but it will have Railers in the name," he said. "The vision was essentially to have a place for fans of the hockey club to gather." The bar will seat about 100 people and will serve food, he said. Once the special permit issue is resolved, he will still need to obtain a liquor license, he said.

The investments are part of an effort by Mr. Rucker to build sustainable, complementary business ventures around the Railers Hockey Club.

"I really believe that this hockey team is going to be a fulcrum for good things in Worcester," he said. "This is as much a community civic pride initiative for me, as it is a hockey-related project. The Sharks departure left a gaping hole in the community, and I was determined to fill it."

Part of the responsibilities of being an owner in the ECHL, the minor league hockey league to which the Worcester Railers will belong, is to provide housing for the players. Mr. Rucker said he is looking to buy an apartment building in Worcester to house the players. He also has purchased a place to live within walking distance of the DCU Center, although he will maintain his primary residence in Danvers, he said.

The Railers are scheduled to begin playing in October 2017 in the DCU Center.