Roadrunners extend Tucson Arena lease through 2027-28 season

The Roadrunners took a major off-ice step toward long-term stability by extending their Tucson Arena lease through the 2027-28 season, keeping the club anchored in Tucson for at least one more year beyond the prior expiration date.

The agreement, announced April 7 with the City of Tucson, Rio Nuevo and Legends Global, preserves the home the AHL club has used since 2016. It also gives the organization a clearer runway after a stretch in which arena security and market uncertainty had hovered around hockey in Southern Arizona.

Roadrunners president Bob Hoffman said the club was “excited to officially extend” its lease with its partners at the City of Tucson, Rio Nuevo and Legends Global. He said the organization has “created and nurtured so many great fans in Southern Arizona over more than a decade” and is “thrilled to continue the legacy and tradition.” Hoffman had already informed the team on April 2 that a contract extension had been signed before the public announcement followed five days later.

The timing matters because the franchise has been growing as a business as well as a hockey operation. More than 140,000 fans have already passed through Tucson Arena this season, and the club says its 10-year attendance total has approached 1.25 million. That kind of steady draw helps drive season-ticket confidence, corporate partnerships and the local business relationships that make an AHL franchise easier to sustain year after year.

The extension also reduces relocation speculation that has lingered around hockey in the market since the NHL Coyotes’ sale in 2024, when the Roadrunners were not part of that transaction. For the parent NHL club, the deal steadies the affiliate pipeline too. A locked-in AHL home means cleaner planning for call-ups, development, travel and roster management, with no arena question hanging over hockey operations.

The organization has also leaned into its community footprint while building that stability. The Roadrunners say they have expanded outreach to Southern Arizona schools, youth programs, military families, nonprofits and first responders, and have donated more than $1 million through Roadrunners Give Back over their history. The franchise’s 10th anniversary season will close at home against the Henderson Silver Knights on April 17 and April 18, a fitting finish to a year that now carries added weight for fans who have watched the club grow into a lasting part of Tucson sports.