Other improvements will now be made, at the Coyotes’ expense, to prepare the arena to temporarily house Coyotes home games. These improvements include constructing coaches’ rooms, equipment rooms, technology and other aspects of the new ASU arena according to NHL standards. The added cost is up to $19.7 million, which will be paid in advance by the Coyotes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will the ASU multipurpose arena be completed?
A: The multipurpose arena will open in fall 2022. Construction began in December 2020 on the arena, which is on the east side of Packard Drive, near the former ASU baseball stadium. The arena should be completed by October. The additional space for the Coyotes will not be ready until December.
Q: What are the details of ASU’s new multipurpose arena?
A: The new arena spans nearly 200,000 square feet and will accommodate a range of community, entertainment, and athletic uses. The arena can be used for concerts, lectures, large-scale meetings, esports competitions, and a variety of athletic events. The original approved project cost of $115 million will now be about $134 million, with up to $19.7 million coming from the Coyotes.
Q: How did the Coyotes become involved?
A: In December 2021, the Arizona Coyotes approached ASU to propose playing their 2022, 2023, and 2024 NHL home games at the newly constructed ASU multipurpose arena. The Coyotes need a temporary home due to the end of their lease agreement with the city of Glendale and the approximate three-year build time for their proposed new arena in Tempe.
Q: What exactly will be added to the project for the Coyotes?
A: The original ASU arena project now will include the construction of a two-story, approximately 15,000-square-foot annex adjacent to the northeastern edge of the arena. This annex will accommodate NHL-quality home and away team dressing rooms, training areas, equipment rooms, nutrition stations, coaches’ workroom, team storage, and a fitness room.
In addition to the two-story annex building, several facility upgrades will be added to meet NHL requirements. These upgrades will include additional reserve chilling capacity for the ice plant, enhanced broadcasting infrastructure, modified dasher boards, media and medical services, and analytics and replay capabilities, as required by the NHL.
Q: Did ASU build this facility for the Coyotes?
A: No. The Coyotes did not approach ASU until late 2021, when the multipurpose arena was already more than half-built.
Q: How will Coyotes home games impact the scheduled home games for the ASU hockey team?
A: There will be no impact to the scheduled ASU hockey home games. ASU has scheduling priority.
Q: How will the second sheet of ice be used?
A: The second full-size ice sheet will be available for student use, as well as youth, adult and club hockey programming, providing an additional rink in the Valley. Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states for youth hockey participation in the country, according to USA Hockey.
