Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 | 2:05 p.m.
Minor league hockey is coming to Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights announced today that they have purchased the American Hockey League team in San Antonio, Texas, and plan to move it to the Las Vegas area next season.
Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
The purchase and relocation of the San Antonio Rampage are pending approval from the AHL Board of Governors.
“It’s been a goal of the Vegas Golden Knights to have our AHL team located in our market since our team’s inception,” President of Hockey Operations George McPhee said in a statement. “Local fans will be able to track Golden Knights prospects as they progress through our system, advance to the AHL and look to reach their potential as NHL players.”
The Rampage, now affiliated with the St. Louis Blues, will finish the season in San Antonio and begin play in Southern Nevada next season. Fans can place a $50 refundable deposit on AHL season tickets online.
The team will practice and be headquartered at Lifeguard Arena, the yet-to-be-completed ice center in downtown Henderson.
The Golden Knights did not announce where the AHL team would play, but multiple reports have suggested the Orleans as a possibility. More details, including the team name, logo and arena will be announced following the Board of Governors approval.
“By bringing an AHL franchise to the desert, our fans will have more opportunities to experience the sport they love in the place we call home,” Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz said in a statement.
The AHL is the highest-level hockey league in North America outside of the NHL. It is used as a development league, similar to the way baseball uses the minor leagues.
The Golden Knights are now affiliated with AHL Chicago Wolves, but that partnership will end with this purchase.
