The Coachella Valley Firebirds are an American professional ice hockey team. They began playing in 2022. The team plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play their home games in Thousand Palms, California at the Acrisure Arena. They are the AHL affiliate for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (AHL). Their ECHL affiliate is the Kansas City Mavericks.
Before the team was created, the Seattle Kraken joined the National Hockey League (NHL). When they joined, the decided to try and look for an affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). Owners of the Kraken were deciding between promoting the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads to the AHL or creating an entirely new team.[1] On June 26, 2019, they decided to create a new team in the Coachella Valley.[2] The Kraken would briefly share the Charlotte Checkers with the Florida Panthers while the arena was built in Palm Springs.[3]
On October 16, 2022, the team would play their first game as the Coachella Valley Firebirds. They would defeat the Calgary Wranglers 6–5. It was also the Wranglers first game in the league.[4]
In the 2022–23 season, the Firebirds would finish the season second in the Pacific Division in points. They would make it all the way to the Calder Cup finals but would lose to the Hershey Bears four games to three.[5]
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