Minor-league sports team skating into Augusta
By William Reyes | Sports writer
When discussing Augusta sports, the obvious go-to topic is golf, which is understandable considering the Masters tournament is held at the Augusta National Golf Club.
But what certainly isn’t the go-to answer, in the heat of Augusta in late summer, is ice hockey.
The Augusta Lynx Hockey team, an NHL and AHL affiliate, will be playing in the New Augusta Arena, which is being built on the site of the demolished James Brown Arena. The plan is for the team to debut in October of 2027. The new Augusta arena is scheduled to open next summer, and the city recently held a “topping-out” event at the venue that will seat 10,500.
This ceremony featured the installation of the final steel beam on the arena structure. Construction on the site began two summers ago.
Despite being an NHL affiliate, the Lynx will compete in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) is a mid-minor level professional hockey league that has teams across the United States and Canada.
ECHL teams compete in a 72-game regular season, followed by a four-round, best-of-seven playoff bracket, culminating in the Kelly Cup Finals.
Although the ECHL contains a lower level of talent compared to the NHL, there have been 768 players in the NHL who started their career in the ECHL, making it a great way for players to work their way onto a more major team.
The Lynx are owned by successful entrepreneur David Hodges, and former NFL and Heisman Trophy-winning University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, giving the team another interesting link to competitive sports.
Construction is still ongoing on the new arena. The team heading the project has invested about 108,466 hours into the arena site already, with 120 workers developing the stadium daily.
Contact William Reyes at wireyes@augusta.edu.
The new Augusta Arena will be the home of the Lynx hockey team. At the top of the page, the city held a “topping-out” ceremony on Sept. 1 to celebrate the construction, with a single beam getting autographs on it. (photos by William Reyes/the Bell Ringer)
