Our Team

Our Team

RinkSmart was built by a hockey dad who flooded a backyard pond rink for over a decade and asked a question nobody had answered. But no brand gets built alone.

Derek Peltier — RinkSmart Advisor

Derek played Division I hockey at the University of Minnesota before going on to a professional career that included the Colorado Avalanche. He knows what real protection means — and he believed in RinkSmart from day one. Derek brings credibility, passion, and a lifetime on the ice to everything we do. When he puts on this hat, it means something.

Peter Bucka — Strategic Advisor | Finance & Growth

Peter holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota and brings deep financial and business expertise as an executive in financial services. A fellow backyard rink builder, Peter understands exactly what RinkSmart is built on — both the product and the culture behind it. His strategic guidance helps RinkSmart build a company as solid as the product itself.

The Technology Inside Every Hat

Every RinkSmart/WinterSmart pad starts as flat PORON® XRD® foam, precision-cut to fit two very different zones of a the head.

The forehead/temple pad is thinner and less dense — 5mm at 12 lb/ft³ — shaped long and tapered to wrap comfortably across the brow without adding bulk.

The rear occipital pad is thicker and denser — 6mm at 15 lb/ft³ — arched to match the curve of the back of the skull, where falls on ice most often land.

Both pads are sewn permanently into the fabric shell — not tucked into a pocket you could forget to close, or lose on laundry day. Once it's in, it stays exactly where it's designed to work.