USHL announces 2 expansion teams coming to Arizona

The United States Hockey League (USHL) announced six expansion locations for the 2027-28 season, including two in Arizona.

The six markets revealed were all on the West Coast, with four in California and two in Arizona:

• Phoenix
• Prescott
• San Diego
• Orange County
• Simi Valley
• Northern California

No details were revealed regarding where the two Arizona teams would play, but the USHL said Ben Robert would own the Phoenix team and Justin Reynolds will own the Prescott squad.

New owners will meet with league officials in July to discuss venues, leases and team branding.

“We are excited to have received tremendous interest from potential owners upon announcing our plans to expand to the West Coast,” Glenn Hefferan, USHL president and commissioner, said in a press release.

“Expanding to that part of the country is essential to our role in serving the NHL, NCAA and USA Hockey, which is to develop elite hockey players by providing them with the resources to be the best versions of themselves, on and off the ice. We are thankful to Luc Robitaille, Tom Garrity, Ben Robert, the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks for their support of a process that will provide more opportunities for players in the U.S.”

The USHL is the premier junior hockey league in the United States, partnered with the NHL and USA Hockey.

More than half of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players and nearly 30% of NHL players in 2024-25 came through the USHL.

There are 16 teams in the league, and Hall of Famers Luc Robitaille, Joe Sakic and Teemu Selanne were backers in expanding in the West.

“Taking the USHL west will help the growth of hockey and competition at all levels, from youth through professional,” Sakic said. “The league’s model, which mirrors college hockey’s practice-to-game ratio and balance of games on the weekends, creates an atmosphere where players are preparing for the next step in their personal and professional careers, often in the NCAA, and where scouts can watch prospects’ development over a longer timeline.”

The USHL last expanded in 2014 to Madison, Wisconsin.

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