Grafton, North Dakota, will soon christen its newest $7 million athletic complex after Chad Demers, a hometown hockey luminary who succumbed to brain cancer in October 2024.
The Chad Demers Athletic Center, slated to open in late 2026, will boast an NHL‑size ice sheet, a track, and a versatile turf field that can host football, baseball, softball, golf and soccer, linking directly to the adjacent Centennial Center where the Grafton‑Park River high school team calls home.
Honoring a Legacy
Demers, a former Grafton‑Park River star who captured state championships at peewee, bantam and high school levels — culminating in a triple‑overtime winner‑takes‑all goal in 2008 — later coached at Augustana University, the Air Force Academy and the Fargo Force, all while battling a six‑year bout with Grade 4 glioblastoma.
Even as his health waned, Demers remained active in the sport, serving as an assistant coach for the Fargo Force, operations director at the Air Force Academy and an assistant at Augustana, inspiring teammates and players with his relentless work ethic.
A ceremony attended by roughly 150 guests, including former teammates and family members, featured speeches from his son Beau Demers and other loved ones, cementing the center’s role as a lasting tribute to a man described as the embodiment of perseverance.
The naming not only celebrates Demers’ athletic achievements but also underscores the power of sport to unite a town in moments of both triumph and sorrow.