I've had an interesting discussion with an inline-hockey youth coach, who raised an interesting perspective. With their smaller inline rink and 4v4 setup, their kids are not not far behind the top level kids in ice-hockey youth programs run by pro teams, but their cost is a fraction due to not having to maintain ice and being able to operate all year long.
In Austria, we are currently seeing rinks remaining closed (or delaying opening until external temps drop massively) due to the rising energy cost, and the remaining rinks increasing their fees, which raises the financial burden to play hockey even more. So inline hockey might be gaining momentum in the near future was his prediction.