It’s Official! NHL Hockey is Really Coming to Boise This Fall

On July 1, the Idaho Steelheads made a super cryptic post that they’ll hold a press conference regarding a MAJOR announcement about hockey in Boise on Wednesday afternoon.

Steelies fans felt pretty confident that it wouldn’t be an announcement similar to the one the Idaho Stampede made in 2016. After 18 years in Idaho, the NBA D-League team announced that they were moving the team to Salt Lake City and renaming the franchise. Toward the end of the run, the average attendance for Stampede games only filled 37% of the arena’s seats.

Get our free mobile app

The Steelheads DON’T have that problem. Boise LOVES its ECHL affiliate. The team sold out over 25 games during the 2021-2022 season. It’s clear that Boise wants them to stay, so what could the announcement be? Fans made some interesting predictions leading up to the press conference. These were some of the big predictions made on social media.

Fan Prediction 1: Seattle Kraken Affiliation

The Idaho Steelies have consistently been the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and AHL’s Texas Stars since 2005. The Seattle Kraken didn’t play their first game in the NHL until 2021. Obviously, they’re closer to Boise so if there was a transition in affiliation, this would make sense.

Fan Prediction 2: Dallas Stars to Play in Boise

Hockey fans really want to see a major league game in Boise. The Stars were supposed to host the Minnesota Wild for an exhibition game in 2012, but the game was canceled due to the NHL lockout. They did host a Green and White scrimmage in Boise in 2018.

Fan Prediction 3: Team Moving up to the AHL

The American Hockey League or AHL is the primary developmental league for the NHL. The guys on AHL teams are a step away from being called up to the big league. We’d LOVE to see that caliber of hockey in Boise.

Fan Prediction 4: New Arena

Idaho Central Credit Union just bought the naming rights to the arena in 2020 and pumped a lot of money into improving the downtown arena, so we really doubted this prediction would be what came to pass.

The Actual Announcement: NHL Hockey in Boise this October

Well…none of those were the major announcement! During the press conference, the Idaho Steelheads announced that Idaho Central Arena will host an NHL hockey game but not for the Dallas Stars. The exhibition game will be between the Las Vegas Knights and Arizona Coyotes on October 8 at 6 p.m.

Order forms for tickets have already been sent to season ticket holders. Tickets go on sale to the general public on August 10 at 11 a.m. Tickets will range from $45-$100.

The Las Vegas Knights included Boise in their 2018 Roadtrip. During the trip, defensemen Jon Merill hosted a hockey clinic at Idaho Ice World. The visit also included a visit from play-by-play announcer Dave Goucher and mascot, Chance.