Goatheads name Rio Rancho rink practice home, pledge $100,000 upgrade

The New Mexico Goatheads have made Rio Rancho’s McDermott Athletic Center their official practice home and pledged $100,000 for upgrades that could change how the rink operates day to day. The investment will target hockey-specific spaces, surrounding public areas and a complete rebuild of the ice surface, tying the city’s newest pro franchise to one of its busiest youth and recreation facilities.

The announcement matters beyond branding. The McDermott Athletic Center is already the main hub for hockey in Rio Rancho, serving youth programs, adult leagues, learn-to-skate classes, figure skating, tournaments and community events. By adding a professional practice tenant without displacing those users, the deal turns the rink into a shared asset for the city’s ice community rather than a single-purpose training site.

General Manager Jared Johnson said the team wanted to invest not only in its own organization but also in the future of hockey in Rio Rancho. Owner Mike McDermott said the organization had already prioritized residents and that the investment into the facility and the community was being felt. The planned work is expected to begin this summer, with the rebuild and other improvements aimed at creating a better experience for players, coaches, officials and visitors.

The timing underscores the scale of the bet. The ECHL approved New Mexico as its 31st member on May 2, 2025, and the Goatheads will begin play in the 2026-27 season at the Rio Rancho Events Center, a 7,000-seat arena. Their inaugural home opener is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, at 7 p.m., and league scheduling says opening night will mark the return of professional hockey to Rio Rancho for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

The Goatheads also arrive with a multi-year NHL affiliation with the Colorado Avalanche, giving the franchise a development link to the NHL and the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. In Rio Rancho, that pro pipeline now runs through a family-owned facility on Loma Colorado Drive NE that says it has operated since 2016 and includes a full regulation ice rink, batting cages, basketball courts, an outdoor turf field and sand volleyball courts.

For Sandoval County, the significance is practical as much as symbolic. The last professional hockey team in New Mexico, the New Mexico Scorpions, ceased operations in 2009 after a Rio Rancho run, and the Goatheads’ practice-home deal suggests this return is being built around existing local infrastructure, not around a stand-alone spectacle.