Auston Matthews, the projected first overall selection in this month’s NHL draft, learned to play hockey in Arizona. Seth Jones, the fourth overall pick three years ago, grew up in Texas.
Rising stars are blossoming in areas once considered hockey drylands in the U.S. and that feeds into a case for expansion, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press.
“There hasn’t been expansion in 16 years,” Holland said. “We’ve now got a talent pool where USA hockey, Canadian hockey and European hockey have done a great job of developing more players.”
On June 22, the NHL’s Board of Governors is expected to vote, pending recommendation from the league’s executive committee, on whether to expand in 2017 by one team, two teams or not at all.