I have to throw my two cents in here. My son started plying roller at 5years old. @ 12, he decided to try ice. Although he knew the game well, he couldn't skate to save his life the first time he tried was hilarious. It only took 2 months to transition to ice through almost daily summer clinics, privates, pick ups and open skates at local rinks. In his first year playing ice, he tried out and landed on a really good AA team. He is at the bottom of the totem pole but holding his own.
Now we have seen both ice and roller and I can tell you that roller has a "fun aspect" to it. The teams are smaller, the families get to know each other quickly, the tournaments are monthly, the kids "SKATE" in-between games non stop and the "WIN" are not as important as they seem to be in ice. My son is LOVING the new aspect of being on an ice team. Its faster, its different, its exciting, but he has learned alot playing roller....and he did it at half the cost over the last 7 years.
Some people "knock" roller, I haven't quite figured out why. The top scorer on our current ice team is a dual player and does as much roller as he does ice.
On another note, I think my son has a few bad habits that he hasn't lost yet on the ice. His TURNS are like monster sized semi circles that take up half the width of the floor! The other kids hockey stop and bolt the other direction. On roller, wide sweeping turns are more common and my player hasn't lost that habit yet. Were working on it.
There won't be much roller going on this year, as the AA schedule doesn't allow for much free time, but it was AWESOME while it lasted and there is always those early summer roller tournaments to jump into. StateWars, Narch Finals and Junior Olympics.
I think that the So-Cal roller hockey scene has its place and should be embraced as an EXCELLENT feeding ground for new ice players...especially at the squirt / peewee level.