NHL Seattle and Oak View Group Awarded Expansion Franchise in California

NHL Seattle and the Oak View Group, the two companies leading the charge in bringing a new NHL franchise to Seattle and in redeveloping the New Arena at Seattle Center (formerly KeyArena), have been awarded an expansion franchise by the American Hockey League (AHL).

The new AHL franchise team will begin play in October 2021 in a new $250 million arena being constructed on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation in Palm Springs, California.

The new franchise is the AHL’s 32^nd team and it will serve as the primary development affiliate of NHL Seattle, the owners of the new Seattle NHL hockey team slated to take the ice at the redeveloped New Arena at Seattle Center for the 2021-22 season. Oak View Group is leading the redevelopment of Seattle’s new hockey arena at Seattle Center as well as other arena development projects in New York, Texas and Italy. NHL Seattle also is developing a training center and headquarters at Northgate called the NHL Seattle Ice Centre.

The AHL, launched in 1936, is a top development league for the NHL, with 90% of today’s NHL players having played at the AHL level during their careers.

“Palm Springs is a great location and this is a top-notch facility for our players in the American Hockey League,” says General Manager Ron Francis, who oversees hockey operations for NHL Seattle and the new AHL franchise. “It gives us the opportunity to fully develop and train all of our prospects to reach the NHL while bringing hockey to another fantastic market.”