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Austin, Houston included in NHL expansion chatter, reports say

By
FOX Local
NHL
Updated June 23, 2026 3:33 PM CDT Published June 23, 2026 2:00 PM CDT

The Brief

    • Both Austin and Houston are being discussed by NHL officials as sites for an expansion team, according to multiple reports.
    • The NHL Board of Governors is meeting in New York on Tuesday to discuss plans.
    • The NHL commissioner is expected to provide an update on the efforts soon.

AUSTIN, Texas - The NHL is apparently considering both Austin and Houston as sites for a possible expansion hockey team, according to multiple reports.

What we know:

Reports from ESPN, TSN and the Associated Press said that both Texas cities are being considered as the league looks to grow.

"Sounds like Austin or Houston could be starting the process soon," ESPN hockey reporter Emily Kaplan posted on X.

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun said on X that he expects "Houston to be front and center" in the discussion.

What's next:

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to address the media sometime Tuesday after the Board of Governors meeting in New York.

Houston’s hockey history

Houston has never had an NHL franchise, but Space City’s hockey roots go back to 1946, when the city had minor-league teams such as the Houston Skippers and Houston Huskies.

What is arguably the city’s most memorable hockey chapter came with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association in the 1970s. That team won two league championships and famously featured Gordie Howe playing alongside his sons, Mark and Marty.

The Aeros name later returned with a minor-league franchise that began play in 1994. That version of the Aeros played in the International Hockey League and later the American Hockey League before relocating to Iowa in 2013.

Houston recently got a new hockey presence with the Houston Bulls, a Tier II junior team in the North American Hockey League, based in Richmond, a Houston-area suburb.

Austin’s hockey history

Austin’s hockey history is more recent and has mostly been tied to the minor-league and junior levels.

The Austin area is home to the Texas Stars, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Dallas Stars. The team plays in Cedar Park and won the Calder Cup in 2014.

The area has also carried the Austin Ice Bats name, first as a minor-league team from the 1990s into the 2000s and now as a Tier III junior team.

The Source: Information in this story came from social media posts, media reports, the NHL, Hockey DB and Hockey Hall of Fame. AI was used to gather some of the information.

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