Phoenix Hockey

Hockey in Phoenix is one of the most complicated stories in American hockey. The city spent nearly three decades as an NHL market through the Arizona Coyotes, but the franchise’s long arena struggles and eventual relocation of hockey operations to Utah changed the city’s hockey identity. Phoenix is no longer an active NHL city in the same way it was during the Coyotes years, but hockey has not disappeared from the Valley.

The current hockey map of Phoenix is built around Arizona State University, Mullett Arena, community ice, youth programs, adult leagues, and the long-term question of whether the NHL can someday return to Arizona. Mullett Arena remains the home of Sun Devil Hockey and includes community ice connected to local youth and adult hockey activity.

Phoenix hockey is therefore not just a story of loss. It is a story of an unusual desert hockey market that developed real fans, produced elite players, built a college hockey anchor, and still has the infrastructure to matter.

The Hockey Identity of Phoenix

Phoenix hockey has always been defined by contradiction. It is a warm-weather desert metro in a sport historically associated with frozen ponds, northern towns, and cold winters. Yet the city proved that hockey could attract fans, develop youth players, and build a regional culture far from the traditional map.

The Coyotes were the main engine of that identity for years. Their presence gave Arizona children a local NHL team to follow and helped normalize hockey in a place where the sport once felt imported. The team’s instability also became part of the story. Arena problems, ownership changes, attendance debates, and relocation rumors often overshadowed the on-ice product. That made Phoenix hockey feel both real and fragile.

After the Coyotes’ move to Utah, Phoenix became a market with hockey memory but no active NHL team. That creates a different identity. The city is now a test of whether hockey culture can survive without the top professional anchor that helped build it.

Hockey Teams and Local Competitions in Phoenix

The Arizona Coyotes were the defining professional hockey team in the Phoenix market from the franchise’s move from Winnipeg in 1996 until the NHL approved the relocation of the team’s hockey operations to Utah in 2024. The Coyotes’ history in Arizona included playoff runs, loyal fans, major arena disputes, and a long effort to make NHL hockey work permanently in the Valley.

The most important current hockey institution in the metro area is Arizona State University. ASU’s men’s ice hockey program gives Phoenix and Tempe a serious NCAA Division I presence. The program plays at Mullett Arena, a 5,000-seat venue on ASU’s campus that includes two NHL regulation-size ice sheets and the Mountain America Community Iceplex, which supports community, youth, adult, and club hockey activity.

ASU’s move into the National Collegiate Hockey Conference starting with the 2024–25 season also raised the program’s competitive profile. The NCHC is one of the strongest conferences in college hockey, and ASU’s membership gives the Phoenix area a more stable high-level hockey identity even without the Coyotes as an active NHL club.

Below the college level, hockey in Phoenix depends on youth organizations, travel teams, adult leagues, club hockey, and rink-based programming across the metro area. The city’s hockey ecosystem is smaller than those in northern markets, but it is not empty.

Rinks, Neighborhoods, and Hockey Geography in Phoenix

The hockey map of Phoenix is built around indoor ice. There is no natural winter hockey culture in the Valley, so every part of the sport depends on facilities. Rinks in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, Peoria, and other parts of the metro area help support youth hockey, adult leagues, skating programs, and club competition.

Tempe has become especially important because of ASU and Mullett Arena. The arena gave the metro area a modern hockey venue, and the connected community ice sheet helps bridge college hockey and local participation.

This geography is different from a northern hockey city. In Phoenix, hockey does not spread naturally through frozen ponds or outdoor neighborhood rinks. It spreads through suburban facilities, professional memories, university hockey, and families willing to commit to a sport that requires indoor access year-round.

Youth Hockey and Player Development in Phoenix

Youth hockey in Phoenix grew significantly during the Coyotes era. The presence of an NHL team gave children a reason to care about the sport and gave families a local example of high-level hockey. Even after the franchise’s relocation, that generation of players and fans remains part of the area’s hockey foundation.

The most famous example of Arizona’s development potential is Auston Matthews. Matthews grew up in the Phoenix area and became one of the NHL’s premier goal scorers, proving that an elite player could come from a nontraditional desert market. His rise changed how people talked about Arizona hockey. It showed that rink access, coaching, family commitment, and exposure to the NHL could create a real pathway even without a cold-weather background.

Youth hockey in Phoenix still faces clear barriers. Ice time is limited compared with northern markets, travel can be expensive, and the sport competes with football, basketball, baseball, soccer, golf, and year-round outdoor activities. But the city has a participation base, and ASU’s presence gives young players another visible local target.

Famous Hockey Players and Local Hockey Figures from Phoenix

Auston Matthews is the defining player in Phoenix hockey history. His development in Arizona gave the market a powerful example of what desert hockey could produce. He is not just a famous player from the area; he is the proof-of-concept for the entire Phoenix hockey experiment.

The Coyotes also brought many major hockey figures through the market. Shane Doan became the face of the franchise and one of the most respected players associated with Arizona hockey. Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, Teppo Numminen, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Clayton Keller, and other Coyotes players helped build the team’s identity across different eras.

ASU has also created a new set of local hockey figures. Head coach Greg Powers helped guide the Sun Devils from club hockey to NCAA Division I relevance, making him one of the most important builders in the Phoenix hockey story. ASU hockey now gives the city a development identity that is separate from the former NHL franchise.

Women’s and Girls’ Hockey in Phoenix

Women’s and girls’ hockey in Phoenix is smaller than in traditional hockey regions, but it is part of the sport’s long-term growth in Arizona. Girls’ participation depends on rink access, local programming, club opportunities, and visible role models. ASU also has women’s hockey activity at the club level, and Mullett Arena lists ASU women’s hockey among its hockey offerings.

For Phoenix, the growth of girls’ hockey is especially important because it shows whether the sport can become a broader community activity rather than only a boys’ travel sport or NHL fan product. More dedicated programs, coaching, and affordable ice time would help deepen the local base.

The Future of Hockey in Phoenix

The future of hockey in Phoenix depends on whether the market can keep its hockey community active without an NHL team. ASU gives the city a serious anchor. Mullett Arena and the community iceplex provide important infrastructure. Youth programs and adult leagues keep the sport alive at the participation level.

The larger question is whether the NHL eventually returns. Phoenix has already shown that desert hockey can produce fans and players. The challenge is building a stable professional structure around that interest. Until then, hockey in Phoenix will be carried by ASU, rinks, youth families, adult players, and the memory of a market that still believes it belongs on the hockey map.