NHLFL Possible Expansion Sites
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 8:25 pm
On October 7th 2021, NHFL Commissioner Steve, along with deputy commissioner Ben officially announced that expansion to a 16 league team would take place for the 2022-2023 season. Expansion rules were drafted and released to the public later that day. Initially after the official announcement, there were no hints of which cities would be awarded expansion. Fast-forward to today and rumours have started to pop-up. Let's take a look at some of the chatter:
1. Florida
Blue waters and beautiful beaches. Florida has it all except a hockey team. Sunrise Sports and Entertainment Chairman Vincent Viola has expressed a huge desire to bring an NHLFL team to Broward County. There is already an arena ready to go (FLA Live Arena) with a capacity of 20,737. The only question is, how good of a hockey market would Florida be?
2. Nashville
Howdy! Nashville has long been considered a front-runner for an expansion site. Some sources say that Nashville is the greatest untapped market for the NHLFL to expand to in the Southern US. If Nashville is awarded an expansion team, get ready to Giddy up!
3. Quebec or Montreal?
Quebec or Montreal? Both are great cities, rich with culture. Many executives around the league believe one of these French cities will be awarded an expansion team, but nobody knows which one. I'd say both cities are neck and neck but ultimately only one will prevail. And no, the French language will not be a barrier to expansion.
4. New York
The last time the NHLFL included a team from New York was back in 2018, the New York Rangers. It's highly unlikely the Rangers make a return in this chapter of expansion but it is very possible that another New York team could make its way back. Keep an eye on Elmont, New York. The brand new UBS Arena can hold 17,000 fans and is believed to be a darkhorse for one of the two expansion cities.
5. Los Angeles
There's already Las Vegas. And Anaheim. But no Hollywood. Los Angeles is considered a popular expansion city by default. However, some say that a hockey team there would not survive given competition with the LA Rams, LA Chargers, LA Lakers and LA Clippers. I disagree.
It's unclear when official announcements will be made, but you can expect the NHLFL is already prepping for the arrival of the 2 new expansion cities behind closed doors. Stay tuned!
1. Florida
Blue waters and beautiful beaches. Florida has it all except a hockey team. Sunrise Sports and Entertainment Chairman Vincent Viola has expressed a huge desire to bring an NHLFL team to Broward County. There is already an arena ready to go (FLA Live Arena) with a capacity of 20,737. The only question is, how good of a hockey market would Florida be?
2. Nashville
Howdy! Nashville has long been considered a front-runner for an expansion site. Some sources say that Nashville is the greatest untapped market for the NHLFL to expand to in the Southern US. If Nashville is awarded an expansion team, get ready to Giddy up!
3. Quebec or Montreal?
Quebec or Montreal? Both are great cities, rich with culture. Many executives around the league believe one of these French cities will be awarded an expansion team, but nobody knows which one. I'd say both cities are neck and neck but ultimately only one will prevail. And no, the French language will not be a barrier to expansion.
4. New York
The last time the NHLFL included a team from New York was back in 2018, the New York Rangers. It's highly unlikely the Rangers make a return in this chapter of expansion but it is very possible that another New York team could make its way back. Keep an eye on Elmont, New York. The brand new UBS Arena can hold 17,000 fans and is believed to be a darkhorse for one of the two expansion cities.
5. Los Angeles
There's already Las Vegas. And Anaheim. But no Hollywood. Los Angeles is considered a popular expansion city by default. However, some say that a hockey team there would not survive given competition with the LA Rams, LA Chargers, LA Lakers and LA Clippers. I disagree.
It's unclear when official announcements will be made, but you can expect the NHLFL is already prepping for the arrival of the 2 new expansion cities behind closed doors. Stay tuned!