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The Thrashers have been gone for 15 years, but there is hope to bring the NHL back (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

Atlanta NHL Expansion Group Bringing Ambitious Plans to Table

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated May 11, 2025 8:35 AM ET

The push for a third NHL franchise in Atlanta gains more legs. A group in Forsyth County (north Atlanta) believes they are in the home stretch of having a strong presentation ready for Gary Bettman and company.

Vernon Krause, the man behind the push, sat down with 11Alive, Atlanta’s local NBC affiliate, on May 7 to discuss the materializing case. He said that his group has overcome some major hurdles that will allow them to apply for a team.

“There’s certain criteria that we have to meet to even apply for an expansion franchise, and that was purchasing land, getting the zoning that we needed, both of those have been accomplished,” Krause said of the development. “Once we got the county vote, getting definitive documents done, which our lawyers are working on, that we can present to the NHL, talking with our investors that we’ve been talking with over the last couple of years, being able to present what I would call a completed package to the NHL.”

This group is one of two in the pursuit of putting a team in the 10th-largest metropolitan area and seventh-largest TV market.

It’s been nearly 15 years since the Atlanta Thrashers played their final game on April 10, 2011. Following the season, they relocated to Winnipeg, becoming the new Jets.

The push for a third chance in Atlanta (the Flames moved to Calgary in 1980) started to gain traction last year. The NHL hinted at interest in further expansion. The Seattle Kraken were only in their second season, but the appetite for creating more markets was already apparent.

The Krause group around that time presented their development, The Gathering at South Forsyth. The goal isn’t to just build an arena but an entire development around it. This would be similar to the development around Truist Park, the home of MLB’s Atlanta Braves, The Battery.

Along with a new arena for an NHL team, the proposal includes 1.6 million square feet of commercial and retail development, 500 hotel rooms with meeting space, 1,800 multifamily and 150 single-family residential units to be built in phases, as well as a 15,000-square-foot building that would house a fire station and sheriff’s precinct station.

Making the vicinity around the arena a place to live and hang out, in theory, helps encourage people to be in the hockey atmosphere. Once this “complete package” is ready to go, the plan is to go to the NHL office in New York. This would likely be after the completion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

All of this is likely appealing to the NHL. After this interview with Krause came out, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expressed his interest in the Atlanta market. While the flops of the Flames and Thrashers are major sticking points to critics, it’s a non-issue to the league.

“I think it’s a different place than when the Flames and the Thrashers left, in terms of how big the city is, how robust it is and the sporting interest,” Bettman said on May 9. “I don’t think the prior two visits have any bearing on whether or not we would go back if all of the other pieces that I referred to are put together.”

Other Appealing Aspects of Krause’s Plan

What stands out about Krause’s plan is the desire to build a hockey culture from the ground up. There is a belief within this group that in order for the NHL to work, they’ll also have to build a hockey culture in Atlanta. It’s easier said than done, but they have a plan to get the ball rolling.

There will be an emphasis on expanding youth development programs for hockey in the Atlanta area. Krause recently sponsored a junior team to compete in Canada. Atlanta Fire Pee Wee Quebec went up to compete in a tournament and beat a team from Spain.

“We want to build hockey in Georgia. We want to build it throughout the whole state,” Krause said when asked why he sponsored the team.

Krause is working with the Forsyth County government to build two community ice rinks in north Atlanta, where he sees the appetite for hockey is located. He wants them to be available for high schools in that area to build up hockey programs. One of the rinks would be the practice facility for the potential NHL team if they return to Atlanta.

If all of this successfully comes together, then building a hockey culture in the Atlanta area could work. Having high school hockey is even more ambitious, since it could help develop Georgia-grown players that head to the NHL. That means local players to look up to, and it can inspire even more kids to want to play hockey. A Georgia-raised version of Ilya Kovalchuk has a cool ring to it.

It’s up to the NHL to decide how legitimate their interest is in this group and to bring this market back into the fray. But there is a well-thought-out plan here. Something this in-depth is needed if they want to prove that the third time really is the charm.