Vegas Golden Knights Chairman and CEO Bill Foley announced today, February 6, that the Golden Knights have purchased an American Hockey League franchise membership from Spurs Sports & Entertainment (which currently operates the San Antonio Rampage in San Antonio, TX) and are applying for relocation of the franchise to Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada. The purchase and relocation is subject to approval from the American Hockey League Board of Governors.
“Since our initial season ticket drive began five years ago in February 2015, we have witnessed first-hand the incredible passion and enthusiasm our community has for hockey,” said Vegas Golden Knights Chairman and CEO Bill Foley. “By every relevant metric, the growth of the game here the last few years at all levels has been remarkable. We could not be more proud to bring a second professional hockey club to the Valley to accelerate this growth even further.”
“It’s been a goal of the Vegas Golden Knights to have our AHL team located in our market since our team’s inception,” said Vegas Golden Knights President of Hockey Operations George McPhee. “We are now closer to realizing this goal than we have ever been before. Last season, more than 87% of all NHL players were graduates of the AHL. 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. This move will effectively centralize our hockey operations and streamline our processes in terms of player development, scouting, transfers and staffing.”
“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,” said Vegas Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz. “With our new community ice center under construction at Lifeguard Arena in Henderson, the club will have a world class practice facility as their team headquarters. We would like to especially thank our colleagues at Spurs Sports & Entertainment and the American Hockey League Board of Governors for their consideration and effort in continuing this process.”
Pending AHL Board of Governors approval, the Rampage would continue to play in San Antonio through the end of 2019-20 regular season and playoffs (if applicable). Following the conclusion of the season, the team would then relocate to Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada where they would begin play in the 2020-21 AHL season.
All Golden Knights fans will be able to place a $50 per seat season ticket deposit beginning now by visiting http://vgk.io/ahl-vegas. Please note the season ticket deposits are refundable. Current Vegas Golden Knights ticket members who place a deposit will receive priority access once seat selection begins. Details regarding seat selection and pricing will be announced at a later time.
Specific details regarding the team including, but not limited to, the team name, logo, ticket pricing, home arena etc. will be confirmed at a later date following approval of the purchase and relocation from the AHL Board of Governors.
Media availability for Golden Knights representatives will be held at a later date following approval of the purchase and relocation from the AHL Board of Governors.