ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico Ice Wolves are gearing up for a new season, and that includes finding host families to house all the young players.

KOB 4 talked with team leaders and a player about the rather unique arrangement.

“Host families are the backbone of every really good junior hockey program, and they play a huge part in our players’ development, especially on the off-ice,” said Vinny Bohn, a New Mexico Ice Wolves assistant coach.  

New Mexico Ice Wolves team leaders know the idea of asking community members to house their players each season may sound strange, but that’s how the Junior Hockey Leagues work.

“They go in, and they live with these families, because it is probably their first time away from home,” said Tina Tonlin, a New Mexico Ice Wolves host family coordinator. 

It’s a big adjustment for the 17 to 21-year-old players to pack up after high school and travel to New Mexico to improve their skills for the chance to make it on a college team.

“We invest a lot of time in these players and developing them, you know, we do video without media practices, extra practices, we get them actual workouts. We do whatever we can to advance on the NCAA, but, they still have to go home, and they still have to eat, and they still have to have a life,” said Bohn. 

That’s where families like Tomlin and Gregory Bronson come in. They’re about to host a player from Minnesota for the third year in a row.

“We actually see him like he’s our son, right? He’s just like, he’s just part of the family,” said Tomlin. 

It’s the same story for Francois Devilliers who’s coming back to New Mexico for a second season.

“Rick and Ramona really have, you know, integrated me with their family. We watch movies together, we eat dinner every night,” said Francois Devilliers, a New Mexico Ice Wolves player. “They call me the grandson now, and I see them as family as well.”

It is a big ask though. Host families must provide a room for their player and are expected to keep enough food in the house.

The team does provide a $425 monthly stipend and families don’t have to commit to the whole season.

“There are reservations that a lot of these families might have. But I’m gonna be honest, like, it might be the best decision of your life,” said Devilliers. 

Team leaders need more New Mexicans to make that decision. The Ice Wolves are looking for about 10 more families to open their homes, and hopefully their hearts, to players this season.

“They don’t have to be hockey fans, although we want them to be, we can teach them how to be hockey fans. But just that, just know that this is a young man who is wanting to pursue and has dedicated his life to this, and we honor that,” said Tomlin. 

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New Mexico ranks fourth overall in gender parity for elected officials according to a report released Tuesday.  The Gender Parity Index listed New Mexico as fourth place, tying with Nevada, in the nation for gender parity, the first time in three years it was not ranked first place. New Mexico also scored a B with […]

New Mexico ranks fourth overall in gender parity for elected officials according to a report released Tuesday. 

The Gender Parity Index listed New Mexico as fourth place, tying with Nevada, in the nation for gender parity, the first time in three years it was not ranked first place. New Mexico also scored a B with a parity score of 45.6 out of 100 points.

New Mexico has never scored an A.

Gender parity happens when 50 percent of those elected to public offices are women.

Up until January 2023, New Mexico had an all-woman U.S. House delegation which ended when Yvette Herrell, a Republican, lost her re-election bid to Democrat Gabe Vasquez in the 2nd Congressional District.
The two are facing each other in a rematch in November.

“New Mexico has had the second-most total women (30) serve as statewide executives in the country; since 1923, all twenty of its secretaries of state have been women,” the report states.

The number of women serving in the state legislature has grown from 20 percent in 1994 to 44 percent in 2024.

“(New Mexico) is one of three states where their lower house has achieved or surpassed gender parity (54 percent in New Mexico). Of the women serving as state legislators, 84 percent of them are Democrats and 16 percent are Republicans,” the report states.

The Gender Parity Index is an annual report put out by nonprofit, nonpartisan organization RepresentWomen that aims to advance systemic reforms ensuring women can run, win, lead and serve.

From 2023: New Mexico scores high in gender parity report

The group launched the report in 2013 looking “to help researchers and advocates track progress toward gender-balanced governance and identify opportunities for increasing women’s political representation in the U.S.,” according to the report.

The report’s key takeaways as a whole were that the U.S. is more than halfway to gender parity with an overall score of 27 percent with less than half of states getting 25 or more points toward parity.

This is also the first time in the report’s 11 year history that no state got an F grade.

“After eight consecutive years of scoring under 10 points, Louisiana earned its first “D” grade and moved up to 45th place. This shows just how consequential a single election cycle can be, especially with open seats,” the report states.

In order to continue sustained progress, changes need to be made to support women in office.

The top spot went to Oregon which scored an A grade with Maine, which came in second and Michigan in third place on the Index.

“The decline in incumbent women running for Congress this cycle suggests that progress will likely plateau or regress if we do not ensure a modern and safe work environment,” the report states.

This progress must happen at all governmental levels, the report states.

The report’s sources were the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, Ballotpedia, U.S. Conference of State Legislatures and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.