LEWISTON – Here’s a cool thought: Professional hockey’s next Wayne Gretzky could soon be sleeping under a roof in the Twin Cities.

That’s Ron Guerin’s take, anyway.

Guerin, of Parent Insurance, and Renee Bernier, Lewiston’s City Council president, are coordinating efforts to select families who will host players on the Maineiacs roster. The team, the only U.S.-based franchise of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will play on home ice at the city’s civic center.

Team management is looking for people in Lewiston and Auburn who are willing to serve as “billet families” for the players. Maineiacs pucksters are all between the ages of 16 and 20. Most are from Quebec or Atlantic Canada. Two are from Slovakia.

Billet families will be expected to provide a stable home and family environment for their hockey playing guest and help them to adjust to the community.

Players will move in with their host families on Aug. 18, midway through their training camp.

Guerin said selected families will “potentially be housing one of the NHL’s greatest players. Under your roof may be the next Wayne Gretzky.”

Bernier said, “The Lewiston-Auburn families that have been interviewed were all wonderful and will make up a very supportive network for the Maineiacs team.”

Selected billet families receive compensation from the Maineiacs team to help defer higher household costs resulting from having a player live with them.

“The billet family system is one of the best parts of major junior hockey,” said Matt McKnight, the MAINEiacs’ vice president and governor. “The team’s extended families are a big part of the support system, and we hope by being part of the community in such an intimate way that we give something back, as well.”

The billet family selection process calls for potential hosts to fill out some forms that are reviewed by hockey club officials. Families that meet the requirements will be contacted for an interview.

The MAINEiacs begin season play in September at Central Maine Civic Center. The center is undergoing renovations to accommodate the professional-level of play.