Professional hockey is back in Stockton.
A new era begins this fall as Adventist Health Arena prepares to welcome a professional team for the first time since 2022.
“We’re thrilled to reintroduce professional hockey to Stockton and once again fill Adventist Health Arena with the energy and excitement the sport brings,” Legends Global Regional General Manager Jason Perry said in a news release Monday. “This is about more than games on the ice. It’s about creating moments for families, fans and the entire community to come together.”
City officials, arena management and team leadership will formally unveil the franchise during a public news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Adventist Health Arena.
Major announcements are expected, including team ownership, league affiliation and milestones ahead of the inaugural season in October. Fans will be able to sign up for season-ticket information, check out partnership opportunities and purchase inaugural merchandise.
Organizers also plan to involve the community immediately through several fan-driven initiatives, including a “Name the Team” campaign that will help determine the franchise’s identity.
“Regularly, we hear the calls from fans across our community asking for the return of hockey to Stockton,” Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi said. “Today, we are proud to say, your voices have been heard, and your prayers have been answered. With tremendous excitement and energy, we announce the return of ice hockey to Adventist Health Arena right here in the heart of Stockton. This is more than just the return of a sport, it’s the return of Stockton’s sports tradition, family entertainment, and the electric atmosphere that brings our community together. The ice is coming back, the fans are coming back, and Stockton hockey is back where it belongs.
“Get ready, Stockton. The puck is about to drop once again.”
The Stockton-based team will compete in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, an independent single-A professional hockey league founded in 2009 with teams across the Midwest, South and Northeast.
The league is not affiliated with the National Hockey League.
Stockton’s hockey history
Stockton’s hockey roots date back two decades.
Originally founded as the Cincinnati Cyclones in 1990, the franchise underwent two relocations and rebrands before eventually landing in Stockton in 2005 as part of the ECHL, a premier AA professional developmental hockey league that serves as a key pipeline to the AHL and NHL.
Known as the Stockton Thunder, the franchise spent the next decade affiliated with several NHL organizations, including the Edmonton Oilers, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and New York Islanders.
That changed on Jan. 30, 2015, when the Calgary Flames purchased the franchise rights and relocated the team to Glens Falls, New York, where it became the Adirondack Thunder.
Hockey in Stockton, however, did not disappear.
In return, the Calgary-owned Adirondack Flames — a member of the American Hockey League, the NHL’s primary developmental league — relocated to Stockton prior to the 2015-16 season and became the Stockton Heat.
Seven years and 217 wins later, the Stockton Heat chapter closed.
After an initial five-year run at Adventist Health Arena and two additional one-year extensions, the franchise relocated to Calgary, Alberta, ahead of the 2022-23 season and became the Calgary Wranglers.
“Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation have appreciated the partnership with the City of Stockton since our arrival in 2015,” Heat General Manager Brad Pascall said in a news release in 2022. “We especially would like to say thank you to the Heat fans who loyally supported the team and continue to throughout the 2022 AHL Playoffs.”
