The Tucson Roadrunners are seeking to play up to 14 games at Mullett Arena next season, per Craig Morgan. Since Ryan Smith purchased the Arizona Coyotes and relocated the organization to Salt Lake City, Utah, rumors have swirled about what might happen to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, which is still owned by Alex Meruelo. After weeks of rumors, the Roadrunners’ plan to bring hockey back to Mullett Arena has been revealed.
Roadrunners Move to Tempe
On Thursday, Morgan reported that Meruelo plans to relocate the Roadrunners to Tempe, where they will play 14 games at Mullett Arena. Any form of relocation (even partial) must be approved by the AHL Board of Governors, who have set a deadline of May 31 for the issue to be resolved. The board will vote on May 30.
With the Coyotes’ departure, Mullett Arena has secured a new full-time tenant for the 2024-25 season: the G-League’s Valley Suns, the NBA’s Phoenix Suns minor league affiliate. The Suns are expected to play 24 games in Mullett Arena and, according to Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, want to play as many weekend games as possible.
The Roadrunners have already begun talks with the Oak View Group (the arena managers), and the two sides have the basis of an agreement in place. AHL President and CEO Scott Howson confirmed that the venue has plenty of dates available for the Roadrunners, also confirmed by ASU and the Oak View Group.
Related: “We Shall Return” – Takeaways From Meruelo/Bettman Presser
Mullett Arena currently hosts the NCAA ASU men’s D1 hockey team and hosted ASU NCAA volleyball and wrestling, ASU ACHA D1 women’s hockey, and multiple concerts in the past.
Meruelo originally wanted to move the Roadrunners to Mullett Arena permanently to help keep the youth hockey support growing and to maintain the connection with Coyotes fans while he tries to win the land auction on June 27 in his attempt to bring the Coyotes back to the desert. He made this clear in a press conference in April. However, in the same press conference, he also backtracked and stated that he might settle for a plan that sees the AHL team play half the season in Tucson and half the season in Tempe.
“This is very early in the process, so I’m not sure what we’re going to do,” Meruelo said. “We’ve talked about playing half a season in Tucson and half a season in Mullett. There’s a lot of discussion going on. There’s no commitment from anybody right now, so I want to make sure my words…
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