The highly anticipated new NHL team out of Seattle is making moves. They broke ground on their practice facility this week, which is set to be located a few miles away from their home ice at New Arena at Seattle Center. The unnamed team is expected to join the NHL for the 2021 regular season.
Seattle's President and and CEO Tod Lewieke expects the practice facility to be ready around the same time their area is, with the goals of having the facility open in the summer of 2021. Their other goal is to have the practice arena hold the inaugural rookie and training camp. The practice facility will be 180,000 square feet with the main rink seating 1,000, while the other two will hold up to 400 people, according to the Associated Press.
Before the Seattle team was confirmed as the league's 32nd franchise, the city had no ice rinks within their limits and had no plans of making one. Now they will have multiple. Tod Lewieke, the franchise's president and CEO, told the AP how that made things different for the team.
"The city of Seattle did not have a sheet of ice," he said. "Now they're going to have four — one at the big house and three here (at the practice facility.) It gives us a chance to grow the sport. It gives us a chance to make a statement to players and so it's the right thing to do."
The franchise is yet to reveal its name, but that may be imminent, now that the arena and facilities are set.
With the addition of ice rinks in the city, there is a lot of opportunity to house other events. They aim to open multiple rinks to the public and will be the background of hockey and figure skating competitions.
