SouthernWorldwide.com – The National Hockey League (NHL) is reportedly exploring significant expansion, with a strong focus on Texas for its next potential team.
Following the recent successful expansion that welcomed the Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, and the Utah Hockey Club (formerly Arizona Coyotes), the league is contemplating adding a 33rd team or even more.
A report from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan indicates that the NHL is preparing to initiate its next expansion phase, with Austin and Houston in Texas emerging as the primary candidates.
This information was discussed during a league board of governors meeting held on Tuesday in New York City, highlighting the NHL’s strategic considerations for future growth.
While other cities like Atlanta (for a third attempt), Arizona (a potential return), Quebec City, and even a second team in Toronto have been mentioned as possibilities in the past, the current focus appears to be on the Lone Star State.
Texas, a vast state with a significant population, currently has only one NHL team, the Dallas Stars. This makes the prospect of adding another team there particularly appealing to the league.
Both Austin and Houston possess some historical ties to hockey, albeit at different levels.
Austin has hosted minor league teams, including the current Texas Stars, who are the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars. They play their games in a suburb of the city.
Houston, on the other hand, has seen several iterations of the Houston Aeros. The most prominent of these was the team that played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) during the 1970s, which famously featured hockey legend Gordie Howe.
The process of expansion involves numerous factors, including the identification of ownership groups capable of meeting a reported $2 billion expansion fee. However, the distinct characteristics of the Austin and Houston markets present unique opportunities and challenges for the NHL.
Austin is noted as the largest market in the United States that currently lacks a team in one of the four major North American professional sports leagues. This situation offers the NHL the chance to be the pioneering professional hockey presence in the city, a strategy that proved highly successful in Las Vegas.
The success of the Vegas Golden Knights, who have been competitive since their inception, also contributed to the appeal of this market-first approach.
Conversely, Houston represents one of the largest markets not currently served by the NHL. While Houston is a significant television market, a new NHL team would face the challenge of competing for fan attention and financial commitment against established professional franchises such as the MLB’s Astros, the NBA’s Rockets, and the NFL’s Texans.
It remains uncertain which of these Texas cities, if either, will be selected, or if the NHL might ultimately opt for a different destination altogether.
Regardless of the final decision, the current discussions strongly suggest that the NHL is seriously advancing its expansion plans.
