Season Schedule Announced For Coachella Valley Firebirds Hockey Team

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — Riverside County sports fans will have a local professional hockey team to follow and cheer for starting this fall.

The Coachella Valley Firebirds, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, announced the schedule for the team’s inaugural season that begins October 16.

While the Firebirds will kick off the 2022-23 season with a two-game series in Calgary, the team's first home game is set for 6 p.m. December 18 against the Tucson Roadrunners inside Coachella Valley's new $300 million Acrisure Arena. (View the Firebirds full season schedule: https://cvfirebirds.com/schedule.)

The newly formed Coachella Valley Firebirds are the AHL’s 32nd franchise, and the team's home base is just as new — Acrisure Arena at 75702 Varner Road in Thousand Palms. The facility is an 11,000+ seat venue that will also host entertainment events. The arena's construction has been privately funded through partners Oak View Group, Seattle Kraken, and Live Nation.

Last week the Firebirds announced the team signed its first two players, Samuel Buček and Ian McKinnon. Last month, the team tapped Dan Bylsma as head coach. Bylsma comes from the Charlotte Checkers, home of the defending Calder Cup Champions where he was named assistant coach by the Seattle Kraken August 2021.

For more information about the team and to purchase season tickets for the inaugural season, visit www.CVFirebirds.com or call 760-835-8778.