Coyotes expect to sell out 'every single game' at shared ASU arena

The Arizona Coyotes are confident they'll have no attendance issues during the 2022-23 campaign as they embark on their first season in a shared arena with Arizona State's NCAA hockey program.

The Coyotes' jump to the 5,000-seat rink was mocked by much of the hockey world, but team president Xavier Gutierrez is adamant the venture will be good for business.

"We know this is going to be sold out for every single game, and we never had any doubt that was going to be the case," Gutierrez told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "We could have sold this out to our existing season-ticket base, but we didn't think that was the right approach.

"We want to make sure that fans who have never experienced a game could experience it. That's a very tricky thing when you've downsized capacity."

The Coyotes were forced to find a new home after the city of Glendale ended its lease agreement for use of Gila River Arena. The franchise is waiting for approval from Tempe City Council to build a new arena district. With no other immediate alternatives, the Coyotes are set to share Mullett Arena with the Sun Devils for the next three seasons.

In order to generate revenue with a smaller capacity, the team has raised its average ticket price next season to $170, which is slightly above the NHL average of $154.

Gutierrez said the increase in cost has seen season-ticket revenue balloon 50%.

"We're not gouging people here," he said. "You're slightly above an NHL average now while you were well below an NHL average before. And we're in a much more centrally located area."

The Coyotes have invested over $25 million in Mullett Arena to raise it to NHL standards. Arizona's first game at its new barn is set for Oct. 28 versus the Winnipeg Jets.