Grafton, North Dakota, will soon be home to a $7 million athletic complex that bears the name of one of its most celebrated sons.
Chad Demers, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 33 after a six year battle with brain cancer, was a standout player at the peewee, bantam and high school levels, a state championship scorer in triple overtime, a junior star with the Fargo Force and a collegiate competitor for the Air Force Academy before turning to coaching and operations work while fighting the disease.
The naming rights were purchased by Choice Bank, which chose to honor Demers rather than attach the bank’s own name to the facility, a decision that reflects the community’s desire to celebrate the athlete’s impact.
The new Chad Demers Athletic Center is slated to open in October or November 2026 and will feature an ice sheet, a track and flexible space for a variety of sports, aiming to serve youth hockey programs and other local activities.
A Community's Tribute
The dedication ceremony attracted more than 150 people, including Demers’s wife Danika Demers, their children Beau Demers, Thea Demers and Ella Demers, and former teammates such as Joey Demers, Andrew Petersen, Billy Petersen and Kody Stark.
Beyond his playing career, Demers remained involved in hockey as a coach and operations director, guiding young athletes and contributing to the sport’s growth in the region.
His legacy will endure in the new center, which is expected to become a hub for aspiring players and a lasting tribute to a man whose influence stretched far beyond the ice.