The Utah Mammoth announced Tuesday that they will play a preseason game in Boise, Idaho, on Sept. 30 against the Los Angeles Kings.
Idaho Central Arena, home of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, will host the game, which starts at 7 p.m. A ticket presale will open July 15 for Steelheads season-ticket holders to reserve their seats.
The Mammoth have not released their full preseason schedule.
Why does the NHL hold neutral-site games?
Each year, the NHL selects a handful of neutral sites for preseason (and sometimes regular season) games. They’re meant to both awaken markets to NHL hockey and gauge interest in those markets for potential NHL expansion.
They’re most often played in the United States, but they occasionally go to Canada and, thanks to the Global Series, have even made their way to Europe, Asia and Australia.
Idaho has hosted two preseason games in the past. The Vegas Golden Knights played the Arizona Coyotes there in 2022, and the Kings played the San Jose Sharks there in 1997.
It’s a full-circle moment for NHL hockey in Utah. In 2023 and several prior years, the NHL held neutral-site games in Salt Lake City to gauge the market’s hockey interest — with the Kings usually being the “host” team. Now, Utah’s team is doing the same for a neighboring state.
The Utah Hockey Club’s first-ever game, preseason or otherwise, was also a neutral-site game. They faced the St. Louis Blues in Des Moines, Iowa, winning 5-3.