Wyatt Stowell, member of the Arizona Hockey Union’s mite team, lifts the Tino Cup after winning the tournament during the Ultimate Goalie Showdown on June 17, 2025. (Photo by Ash Cavanaugh/Cronkite News)
GILBERT – Almost 15 months have passed since Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo announced that the organization failed to reach a deal on an arena and that the team would relocate to Salt Lake City effective immediately. It was a harrowing moment for hockey fans across the Valley, as their franchise had been ripped away from them.
“One of the biggest parts of the team being here was getting the ball rolling for the sport,” said Shane Doan, a Coyotes legend. “Whether it’s from the youth level to the collegiate level the momentum needs to continue.”
What is next for the future of hockey in Arizona?
The Coyotes are a fixture of the past, and Arizonans have turned their hockey appetite toward Arizona State hockey and charity events, one of which was hosted in June featuring several former NHLers.
The Sun Devils made it all the way to the NCHC semifinals this past season, just two wins away from an appearance in the NCAA Tournament
“Hockey is such a big fabric in our community, even without the NHL,” Sun Devil hockey coach Greg Powers said. “This area’s a melting pot of people all over and I don’t think the sport is going away.”
Buffalo Sabres winger Josh Doan, son of all time Coyotes leading scorer Shane, grew up in Scottsdale playing hockey and was one of the few current players skating at the June event.
“Packed house today with over a dozen kids here at the event which is great to see,” Josh said. “I was once in their shoes being from here and the future of the sport is in their hands with the job being to grow the sport.”
Shane Doan, former Arizona Coyotes captain and legend, smiles during the warmups of his first game of the Tino Cup at the Ultimate Goalie Showdown at AZ ICE in Gilbert, AZ on June 17, 2025. (Photo by Aishling Cavanaugh/Cronkite News)
There have been several groups who want to bring a team back to the Valley, but there’s likely a steep hill to climb for that to come to fruition.
The buzz has seemed to be mostly around ASU hockey, but high school hockey has also received attention with Arizona recently moving its state championship game to Mullet Arena.
ASU hockey remains popular and recorded the 13th highest attendance in college hockey last season, overselling the arena at an average of 101.5 percent.
As for most sports, youth participation is key when it comes to popularity. The hope is that this will be the first domino to fall when it comes to adding a new team to Phoenix in the name of hockey.
That state’s participation in youth hockey grew 5% from 2021-22 to 2022-23, according to a USA Hockey report, and its most recent numbers suggest a slight increase, although not as much as in the past.
“Two reasons for hosting the event were to raise money and get hockey going again in the Valley,” said Eddie Lack, a former NHL goaltender and Scottsdale real estate agent. “This is the best way to do it while business groups work to file a bid to bring a team back.”
Lack hosted the event and hopes to bring it back for years to come.
It’ll have to be a collaborative effort for hockey to continue its trajectory in the state, but the framework has been laid out.
“Obviously, it was tough for the chapter of hockey to close here,” Shane said, “It wasn’t exactly what everybody in Arizona hockey wanted. But there’ll be another chapter, and when that happens it’ll be exciting.”
Time will tell if hockey just shouldn’t work in the deathly hot desert known as Arizona, or whether it should be given another through further development of ice hockey at all levels.
Chris Schaller expects to graduate in December 2025 with his master’s degree in sports journalism.
Aishling Cavanaugh expects to graduate in summer 2025 with a master’s degree in strategic communication. She has worked for the Valley Suns as a social media assistant and Phoenix Rising as a social media intern.
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