Austin, Houston included in NHL expansion chatter, reports say

AUSTIN, Texas - The NHL is apparently considering both Austin and Houston as sites for a possible expansion hockey team, according to multiple reports.

What we know:

Reports from ESPN, TSN and the Associated Press said that both Texas cities are being considered as the league looks to grow.

"Sounds like Austin or Houston could be starting the process soon," ESPN hockey reporter Emily Kaplan posted on X.

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun said on X that he expects "Houston to be front and center" in the discussion.

What they're saying:

Following Tuesday’s Board of Governors meeting, NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, announced that the league will open a six-month process to evaluate the possibility of expanding to either Austin or Houston.

Commissioner Bettman identified the Friedkin family as the prospective owner of the Texas expansion franchise, which would be the NHL's 33rd. The Friedkin family also owns Italian soccer club AS Roma and Everton in the English Premier League.

"Each city brings unique attributes that would make a new team a huge success – both have the infrastructure, passionate fan bases, and economic strength needed to support a championship-caliber franchise for years to come," the company said in a statement.

Bettman confirmed the League has entered into an agreement with the family to explore the possibility of a new city. Including the expansion fee and cost of building a new arena, the total investment made by the Friedman family would amount to around $3.5 billion. Regardless of which city is chosen, Bettman said that both markets would need a new arena for the team to play in.

What's next:

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was expected to address the media sometime Tuesday after the Board of Governors meeting in New York. That has been canceled.

Houston’s hockey history

Houston has never had an NHL franchise, but Space City’s hockey roots go back to 1946, when the city had minor-league teams such as the Houston Skippers and Houston Huskies.

What is arguably the city’s most memorable hockey chapter came with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association in the 1970s. That team won two league championships and famously featured Gordie Howe playing alongside his sons, Mark and Marty.

The Aeros name later returned with a minor-league franchise that began play in 1994. That version of the Aeros played in the International Hockey League and later the American Hockey League before relocating to Iowa in 2013.

Houston recently got a new hockey presence with the Houston Bulls, a Tier II junior team in the North American Hockey League, based in Richmond, a Houston-area suburb.

Austin’s hockey history

Austin’s hockey history is more recent and has mostly been tied to the minor-league and junior levels.

The Austin area is home to the Texas Stars, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Dallas Stars. The team plays in Cedar Park and won the Calder Cup in 2014.

The area has also carried the Austin Ice Bats name, first as a minor-league team from the 1990s into the 2000s and now as a Tier III junior team.

Local perspective:

"Houston is a powerhouse in terms of being a massive media market," says Matt Bowers, the managing director of the University of Texas’s Business of Sports Institute. 

With the NHL seeing record revenues expected to near $8 billion from this season, Bowers isn’t confident Austin would be able to provide the return on investment that Houston would.

"I think Austin represents sort of the next wave of great American sports cities. It just may not be quite established enough to be able to compete with a Houston in a head-to-head type of setting. I think a lot of the things that a league looks for, Houston does really well," he said.

And while too early to know what the exact economic impact the expansion could bring to Austin, it’s safe to say that an NHL team could do wonders.

"If you just look at the economic impact from not only just sports, but entertainment, such as Formula One, the FC team, South by Southwest, major concerts. I mean the impact could be astronomical," says Seth Allen, the communications manager for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. "Even being considered is a great honor. I mean, it just reinforces Austin's position as a world-class city that continues to attract that investment and talent."

While Austin might be seen as the underdog, it still has its own set of advantages to offer.

"Austin is unique. The tech piece here in Austin, I think, is also unique when you look at corporate support and potential partnerships," says Bowers. "Whether that's enough to kind of pull or tip the scales away from a traditional powerhouse market like Houston, we'll see."

No board vote was taken by the NHL on Tuesday. That will only happen if the sides involved move forward with an agreement. But when it comes to the possibility of an NHL team calling Austin home, some are more hopeful than others.

"Knowing that could potentially be a reality here in Austin, super exciting," said Kelsey Edmonds, who lives in Austin. "I think we have that potential here just with the way they were able to rally and really love the place that we live and the things that exist here. And so, I see us even translating some of that weird, cool, fun energy into our sports teams in our own unique way."

 "I think it's out of our league," said an Austinite named Chris as he walked downtown. "As far as the atmosphere, I think Austin has the better atmosphere. But the financial part of it, I'm not sure about that. I think it's probably Houston's game."

The last time the NHL expanded was 2021, when the Seattle Kraken first took to the ice. Before that, the most recent addition was the Vegas Golden Knights, who started in the 2017-18 season. It’s not guaranteed that the NHL will move forward with a 33rd team, but if they do, they will become the largest professional sports league in North America, surpassing the National Football League.

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