ESCONDIDO —— Despite the closing of the Palomar Family YMCA's roller hockey program last month, the city of Escondido's rink at Kit Carson Park hasn't yet welcomed a wave of kids wearing inline skates.

Last year, about 300 children from across North County were playing roller hockey at the YMCA, but it's not clear where young hockey enthusiasts have migrated or will end up in the fall.

"I suspect that most people will end up at Kit Carson Park," said Harry Smith, a Vista resident who has coached teams at the YMCA for the last decade. "In summertime, there's usually a bit of a lull anyway. When it's hot, it's not really comfortable with all that equipment. "

This summer, 104 children have signed up for youth roller hockey leagues at Kit Carson Park, about the same as last year, youth league coordinator Bethany Jobe said Tuesday.

"I think part of the problem was the overlap in schedules," Jobe said. "We did extend the sign-up period to help the YMCA players."

The city's 10-week summer youth league started June 18, a week before the YMCA's youth games stopped. The city's adult leagues don't start until the fall.

Palomar YMCA officials said they decided this spring to remodel the North Broadway rink to house a gymnastics program, now located in a crowded rented building off-campus. Renovations are scheduled to begin in August.

Some hockey players were disappointed by the decision.

"Kit Carson is the next best thing, but nothing compared to the YMCA in North County," Smith said.

Roller hockey rinks in Oceanside and Poway could pick up youth players as well, he said.

Debbie Nauman, youth program director at Poway's Sportsplex center, said the Poway leagues have seen a steady increase in enrollment over the last few quarters, but she didn't know how many had come from the YMCA.

"Due to the timing, we haven't seen an increase in kids coming," said Jay Hoffman, president of Tri-City Inline Hockey League in Oceanside. "We're hoping to draw some of them in when the fall registration comes."

He also predicted most roller hockey players would migrate to Kit Carson Park, which he described as having a high-quality facility.

"It's getting to be so that there are only a few places left in North County to play roller hockey," he said.

Contact staff writer Quinn Eastman at (760) 740-5412 or qeastman@nctimes.com.