COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS
Coachella Valley Is Getting Its First Professional Sports Team for the ‘22-’23 Season
The American Hockey League (AHL) has awarded its 32nd Franchise to the Coachella Valley, which will take the ice in late 2022 at the Coachella Valley Arena. This new AHL Hockey franchise will be the official affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
The Kraken’s tentacles run deep with the AHL as nearly all players selected in the NHL Expansion Draft were graduates of the American Hockey League. Even more impressive is that many of the players have AHL championship experience being on Calder Cup championship teams and numerous players have been selected as AHL All-Stars during their time in the AHL.
While the Acrisure Arena is in construction the Kraken will provide players to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for this current 2021-22 season
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are the 32nd Franchise to enter the American Hockey League (AHL) with a goal of developing players and personnel for the National Hockey League (NHL). The Firebirds strive to accomplish this by passionately building an organization from the ground up focusing on talent, entertainment, service and community.
Talent
In order to be the best we strive to have the best both on and off the ice. We are holding our personnel to the highest moral standards focusing on honesty, integrity and teamwork.
Entertainment
The Firebirds will be the first Professional Sports team in Coachella Valley in its first ever 10,000+ seat facility the region has seen. This carries the opportunity to expand Oak View Group’s entertainment expertise from around the world into Coachella Valley and bring a level of entertainment not previously experienced for the nine surrounding cities. With the ultimate goal of bringing an AHL Calder Cup Championship to the region.
Service
Our team will strive to interact with the fans and patrons in a way that upholds the following values:
- Professional
- Communication
- Loyalty
Community
Our team’s commitment both on and off the ice to the community is a founding pillar. We will be committed to having a positive environmental impact, supporting the underserved areas and growing the exposure of the game of hockey to the community. The team is committed to supporting existing programs in communities of Coachella Valley and to expanding the game of hockey to underserved areas in this region.
NHL: Seattle Kraken
The Coachella Valley team is affiliated with the NHL’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken, for the 2021-22 season. The affiliation is expected to last one season while construction is completed on an arena that will host the Kraken’s AHL expansion franchise in Palm Desert, California.
ECHL: Kansas City Mavericks
The Mavericks have entered into a new multi-year affiliation agreement with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. The Mavericks will serve as the ECHL affiliate for the Kraken and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, starting in the 2022-23 season.