Months before Hockey Day in Minnesota comes to Hastings, its host venue is getting a chance to show off major upgrades ahead of the festivities.

United Heroes League cut the ribbon on a multi-million-dollar expansion to its outdoor rink Saturday. New locker rooms and indoor restrooms were the highlight, as well as a grandstand capable of hosting crowds in the thousands.

For the Hastings-based nonprofit, Saturday was also the next step forward in serving veterans and their families. Founder Shane Hudella says since its founding in 2009, the United Heroes League has given out more than $30 million in gear, trips and experience to military kids and their families.

The outdoor rink in Hastings serves as a way to commemorate their service and give veterans and their families a place to play.

"The building, the facility, it's cool, it's shiny and brand new, but really for me, it's about more opportunities for military kids," Hudella said Saturday. "To make them feel valued and have a special place for our veteran family to come and gather and enjoy the camaraderie that they enjoyed in the military."

Hudella says the project is still in its final funding stages. More information on fundraising can be found on the United Heroes League website.

"We have veterans in the community here that are amputees, that may not feel comfortable going to a local arena, an open skate there, just because of some of the challenges they've had related to their service," Hudella said. "This was a massive project and it was really a stretch for us. This is about 5 million dollars of construction for our veterans here. We've still got a pretty big gap to fill before end of year."