It isn’t exactly a quick drive from Albuquerque to the Rio Rancho Events Center, the city’s largest entertainment venue located on the far west end of the metro area, but residents are willing to make the drive for concerts and other special attractions. Historically, sports have been the center’s biggest draw, and fans just got another reason to cross the Rio Grande. Last week (May 7) during a press conference at the facility, guests in sharp suits gathered to hit us with an announcement that could change the social and economic climate west of the Rio Grande and get a few more “rink rats” packing their cars and heading out on the highway. Fred Slow, host of the Two Men On radio show, MC’d the event. Before introducing the key speakers, he gave attendees a teaser:
“Ladies and gentlemen, pro hockey is back,” he said. “Let’s go.”
You heard it right. New Mexico is getting a new ice hockey team, tentatively named the New Mexico Pro Hockey Club. The puck isn’t set to drop during the first game until October 2026, and a lot of details are still up in the air, but we do know a few things. The team will be the 31st team to join the ECHL “AA” Developmental Hockey League, and their home stadium will be the Rio Rancho Events Center. New Mexico’s next pro sports franchise will be managed by REV Entertainment, the official sports and entertainment partner of MLB’s Texas Rangers, and led by Team Manager Jared Johnson, former vice president of the Huntsville Havoc hockey team of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). The ownership team has several private investors, and at least one of those investors has lived in New Mexico since elementary school.
The Team
“We’ve had the opportunity over the years to buy existing teams and expansion franchises. And I tell everybody: The great thing about an expansion franchise is you’re not burdened by the past or anything like that. We get to start a new history today,” President of REV Entertainment Sean Decker says. “My promise — and our promise to you — is we are not here to bring a Texas-based strategy from a Texas-based company to a New Mexico market. This team will be hyper-local. We are excited to be a part of that. We are excited to have local ownership.” Decker says.
Part of that “hyper-local” promise is an opportunity for New Mexicans to name the team, and you’ve likely already heard someone bust out their wittiest idea to toss into the proverbial helmet. By the morning after the big announcement, local radio shows were adding to the hockey buzz by listing creative and ridiculous name suggestions they received from listeners. Everything from family-friendly names such as “The Orange Barrels,” “The Goatheads” or “Cha-Ching-Alings” — in honor of the state’s many casinos — to not-so-innocent monickers such as “Blue Ice Brawlers” or “Duke City Meth-O-Dones.” There’s an official link to submit names at www.nmprohockey.com, and REV Entertainment says their plan is to select and announce the team name later this summer.
Decker says REV Entertainment will be “working aggressively” to build a staff here in New Mexico, and leading that initiative is Jared Johnson, the man hired as general manager of the New Mexico Pro Hockey Club. Johnson has overseen all ticket sales and business operations for the Huntsville Havoc of the SPHL minor professional ice hockey league since 2021, and during that time, the organization saw four straight single-season league attendance records.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to lead the ECHL’s newest franchise and to help bring professional hockey back to New Mexico,” he says. “We’re committed to building a team that’s a true staple of the community, while providing exciting, affordable and family-friendly entertainment for everyone to enjoy.”
The Venue
As the host Two Men On, a local radio show that airs weekly on 95.9 FM and 610 AM The Sports Animal, Fred Slow keeps New Mexicans up on the biggest sports, current events and pop culture news. He connects sports fanatics across the state with athletes and entertainers as they roll through town and is a broadcaster for the New Mexico Roadrunners Arena Soccer team, who play their home games at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Slow knows sports, and he knows which New Mexico arenas pack fans into seats. He says, since the Rio Rancho Event Center draws some of the most annual visitors of any venue in New Mexico, it’s a good fit for the new pro hockey club.
“In my opinion, it’s the premium venue in the state, and that specifically relates to how it has permanent ice, which makes it an attraction to this exact sport,” Slow says. “I think there is a misconception from individuals who have hesitancy of crossing the Rio Grande, that that venue is not top tier and not inviting, because it absolutely is. And I don’t know if I could identify a better opportunity in this state for this hockey team to be successful.”
Rio Rancho Mayor Greg Hull says the ECHL is a league with “serious stature,” and having the 31st member of the league based in Rio Rancho will put the city on par with major markets across the country, creating a pipeline and aligning the Albuquerque metro area with the NHL development pipeline. According to REV Entertainment, in the ECHL’s 37-year history, over 760 of its players have gone on to play in the NHL. Hull also says the team’s home stadium has “deep hockey roots” as it once hosted the New Mexico Scorpions and the New Mexico Mustangs minor league ice hockey teams.
“We’re not just growing in size, but we’re also growing in culture,” he says. “This team will be a source of community pride, family, fun and regional energy. It’s about creating memorable experiences, bringing people together and offering something truly special for the fans of all ages. It’s also a step forward in shaping Rio Rancho and the entire metro into the vibrant, dynamic community we work hard to build every day. And here’s the exciting part, we have a rare chance to shape this team’s identity, from the [team’s] name to the energy in the stands.”
The New Mexico Pro Hockey Club franchise has a local ownership team including private investors such as Darren “Indy” White, director of PurLife cannabis company and Public Member Commissioner on the New Mexico Gaming Control Board. Indy White is also the son of former Bernalillo County Sheriff and current Albuquerque mayoral candidate Darren White.
“I went to elementary school, middle school and high school here, it’s just a dream come true,” White says. “I’m excited to share this experience with the city and the community. It’s been a long time in the making, too. So this is almost three years’ worth of work, but we found the right team with Rev Entertainment.”
The Future
Decker says REV Entertainment has waited over a year to make their announcement, and they’re confident they made the right choice, picking Rio Rancho as the new home for hockey in the state. But the franchise won’t be successful without REV proving they’re in it to win it with their new fanbase, providing an experience that will be valuable for families, companies and individual fans alike.
“We know this arena is a place that people and families come together and make memories, and it’s our job to throw a great party and have a hockey game break out,” Decker says. “We are here to be a fixture in your community. We are here to earn your fanship. We will play an exciting brand of hockey. Winning always matters in professional sports, but how you play the game is equally important — or more so — to us.”
Hopefully that attitude translates to a win for Albuquerque, its culture, its economy and its sports fans.