Community welcomes New Mexico Pro Hockey Club live announcement

RIO RANCHO — Local leaders and community members gathered at the Rio Rancho Events Center to welcome to the New Mexico Pro Hockey Club May 6.

"Thank you guys for all your investments, and welcome to Rio Rancho, welcome home!" Mayor Gregg Hull said to the REV Entertainment group, which is the owner and operator of the New Mexico Pro Hockey Club.

The ECHL, a AA hockey league, recently announced that Rio Rancho will be the home of the 31st team of the league currently under the name the "New Mexico Pro Hockey Club."

"We couldn't be more excited. We've been working on this for more than a year, and we finally get to talk about it publicly today. Now, we are going to scream it from the mountain tops until we drop the puck in October 2026," REV Entertainment President Sean Decker said.

In attendance for the big event were district representatives, county commissioners, members of the Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce, Hull, REV Entertainment members and ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin.

"Thank you to all the individuals who have played a major role in getting this deal done," Hull said. "We are very excited about all the opportunities ahead of us ... This is really going to put Rio Rancho, and New Mexico, back on the hockey map."

Call it a blast from the past, but a few of those in attendance were seen sporting New Mexico Scorpions jerseys. The Scorpions was a Central Hockey League (CHL) team based in Rio Rancho until they ceased operations in 2009.

"Long time coming," said hockey fan Wayne Oliver, who was wearing a vintage Scorpions jersey. "Ice hockey is a great sport, and it's a good event to bring your family to."

Fans are encouraged to visit the website and help create a team name.

"The plan is to select and announce a team name this summer," said Chris Rasmussen, the Governor of the New Mexico Pro Hockey Club.

They're currently more than 100 submissions, and REV plans to narrow down all submissions to a handful of names. Once selections are narrowed, they plan to put the names out for "one final vote."

On the current list of plans for New Mexico Pro Hockey Club is to create a Kids Club in October 2025, hire a coaching staff in the spring of 2026, host a fan festival in spring/summer 2026, and then play their first game in October 2026.

The New Mexico Pro Hockey Club plans to have an affiliation with an NHL team as the ECHL league has had more than 700 of their players go to the NHL. The Dallas Stars will serve as a liaison during the team's launch but will not be the affiliate team for New Mexico.

For more information, visit nmprohockey.com.