Texas NHL expansion updates roll in, data shows Houston has advantage in hockey presence
Texas NHL expansion updates roll in, data shows Houston has advantage in hockey presence originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Recent reports have indicated that The Friedkin Group— led by chairman and CEO Dan Friedkin who has been identified as the prospective owner of the NHL’s 33rd possible franchise —have signed an office lease in Austin, Texas.
Friedkin’s local multi-club ownership and management company, Pursuit Sports, has a CEO of David Beeston. He’s the one expected to spend significant time in Austin evaluating the city as expansion considerations continue to develop. This news was originally reported by the Chron and Austin Business Journal; the development follows Houston or Austin being named by League Commissioner Gary Bettman as the two cities currently being considered for the League’s next expansion city.
The office space being leased will likely be used as a workspace as market viability and arena possibilities are assessed in Austin. The Friedkin Group’s primary location is already based in Houston per the business’s LinkedIn — so an office lease in Houston would not be required given the company is already primarily based there and familiar with the city.
Bettman has previously revealed that the NHL has already entered into an agreement with The Friedkin Group for a $3.5 billion investment to include the expansion fee that goes to the League and the cost of building a new arena — a NHL requirement for the expansion team whether it is in either Houston or Austin.
Texas already has a pre-existing League franchise in the Dallas Stars. These developments surrounding Houston or Austin resulted from a June 23 Board of Governors meeting, which officially marked the beginning of a six-month process to analyze the possibility of expanding to either of these two cities in the Lone Star State.
Houston identified as having larger hockey audience over Austin
Previous reporting has also already indicated that Houston does indeed have a solid leg up over Austin in terms of media-market data (Houston is the No.6 media market compared to Austin coming in at No. 32) and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly’s own words.
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly breaks down the latest developments for upcoming @NHL expansion plans! 👇#thesickpodcast@MurphysLaw74pic.twitter.com/VFWtSHiqIz
— The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test (@sickpodnhl) July 29, 2026
“We’re primarily interested in and our owners are primarily interested in a potential expansion franchise in Houston. We left open the possibility that we may examine and consider and evaluate Austin, TX as well,” Daly said on The Sick Podcast with NHL reporter Jimmy Murphy. “The hope and to some extent the expectation is that we will have a team in play in time for the 2029-30 season.”
However, the lease signing does indicate that Austin is to not be counted out — and some sources are stating that the race between Houston and Austin for a NHL team is closer than most think.
However, a new data dataset provided to The Sporting News now also indicates that Houston not only has a leg up in terms of media market, but also with hockey audiences and a broader organized hockey footprint.
Per CanadaSportsBetting.ca, Houston has three TAHA-sanctioned hockey organizations compared to Austin with only one. In addition, the Houston Junior Aeros Hockey Association lists 10 THL travel teams for 2026–27 versus nine for the Austin Capitals — giving Houston 11.1% more teams at that directly comparable level.
Also across the four matching 2025–26 AA age groups, Houston’s teams combined for a 55.4% win rate over 42.3% for Austin, with Houston carrying the higher rating in three of the four age groups.
Finally — USA Hockey numbers indicate that Houston has 2,404 registered USA Hockey players compared to only 2,047 in Austin, giving Houston a 17.4% larger player base.
Austin does have the AHL Affiliate of the Dallas Stars (the Texas Stars) in their backyard, but the city of Houston will also be launching the inaugural season of the NAHL’s Houston Bulls in 2026-27. In addition, there are also a number of hockey related organizations throughout Houston who have been advocating for NHL expansion efforts and whose primary mission is to grow the sport throughout the city — such as the Houston Girls Hockey Association (the HTX Storm), the Women’s Hockey Outreach Association of Houston (WHOAH), Hockey Day in Houston and Rice University and the University of Houston’s club programs.
Season tickets for the Bulls are already sold out, with interest seeing numbers of over 4,000 from Houston hockey fans ahead of the Bulls’ home opener at the Deep South Ice Sports Plex in Richmond, Texas on Oct. 2.
The six-month evaluation period for the NHL deciding between Houston and/or Austin began in late June, and is expected to come to a decision around Dec. if the timeline holds out.
MORE:NAHL Houston Bulls sell out season tickets ahead of inaugural season
