Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia has his sights set on bringing hockey back to Arizona, Sportico reported Wednesday.
Arizona is left without an NHL team after the Coyotes moved to Salt Lake City following the 2023-24 season. The franchise will have a new name for the 2025-26 season, but when it plays this year, it will be known as the Utah Hockey Club.
“I'm definitely going to be a part of the community and if I can help get hockey back up and running, I'll consider it,” Ishbia told Sportico. “It's definitely something I'm interested in. It's a four-sport city. I'm disappointed that we don't have a hockey team, but I understand what happened and we're going to try to fix it one day.”
Ishbia, 44, also owns the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.
The Footprint Center, home of the Mercury, hosted the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday. Behind the arena is also a new $100 million women's training center, funded by Ishbia.
“I think our stadium is top-notch right now. I love it,” Ishbia said of Footprint Center. “But at some point we're going to have to get a new stadium.”
The Coyotes played games at the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona, from 2022 to 2024.
According to Sportico's report, Ishbia did not reveal whether he was in talks with the NHL, and the league also remained silent. If hockey does end up returning to Arizona, Ishbia would have the new arena built in downtown Phoenix.
Former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo sold the club for $1.2 billion.
