Ice hockey is returning to Augusta.
The city of azaleas and the Masters will soon add slap shots and penalty kills to its sports landscape after the ECHL announced Wednesday a new franchise is on the way.
The team, to be named later and starting play in 2027, has an ownership group that includes former Florida Gators and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.
“This is a proud day for Augusta,” Mayor Garnett L. Johnson said in a statement. “Bringing professional hockey back to our city is all about energizing our community, attracting visitors, and creating opportunities for our local economy to grow.”
Augusta last hosted an ECHL franchise from 1998 to 2008. The city later fielded an independent minor-league team from 2010 to 2013. The ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League, serves as a developmental league for the NHL.
The new Augusta club will play its home games in a 10,500-seat venue currently under construction in the city’s downtown.
“The growth of the market and the newly constructed venue will make for a first-class entertainment experience, while also adding a great new rival city amongst our South Division,” ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin said in a statement.
As efforts continue to lure an NHL franchise back to metro Atlanta, Augusta becomes the latest Georgia city betting on the ice sport’s future.
The Atlanta Gladiators, based in Duluth since 2003, and the Savannah Ghost Pirates both already compete in the ECHL, which is one tier below the American Hockey League, or AHL.
Athens in 2024 launched the Rock Lobsters of the independent Federal Prospects Hockey League, joining the Columbus River Dragons. The FPHL is a lower tier than the ECHL.
The Macon Mayhem, which relocated from Augusta, now plays in the Southern Professional Hockey League, also a lower tier than the ECHL.
Georgia doesn’t currently have a team in the AHL, the league immediately below the NHL.
But there’s a renewed push to bring an NHL team back to metro Atlanta.
Forsyth County leaders in June approved agreements tied to a proposed $3 billion mixed-use development called The Gathering at South Forsyth. Plans include an 18,500-seat “NHL-ready” arena — though public funding would only kick in if the league awards a franchise.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has not indicated that the 32-team league is pursuing expansion.
The Atlanta Flames played in the NHL from 1972 to 1980 before moving to Calgary. Another NHL team, the Thrashers, played in Atlanta from 1999 to 2011, when they moved to Winnipeg.
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