Coachella Valley Firebirds
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional hockey team based in Thousand Palms, California. They play in the American Hockey League (AHL), in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team began play in the 2022–23 season as an expansion franchise and is the affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. Home games are held at Acrisure Arena, which seats about 11,000 fans.
The Firebirds are owned by Oak View Group. Troy Bodie is the de facto general manager, Derek Laxdal is the head coach, and captain Max McCormick leads the team on the ice. The team’s colors are deep sea blue, red alert, orange, and ice blue. Their mascot is an orange bird named Fuego. Their uniforms feature two main looks—dark blue and white—with a red “Red Alert” third jersey introduced in 2023.
Affiliates include the Seattle Kraken (NHL) and the Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL). The Firebirds’ home venue, Acrisure Arena, opened in December 2022 after construction began in 2021, costing about $290 million.
In their inaugural season, the Firebirds finished with 103 points and reached the Calder Cup Finals, where they lost in overtime of game seven to the Hershey Bears. In 2023–24 they again reached the Calder Cup Finals, earning the Pacific Division title and a Western Conference title, but once again fell in overtime of game six to Hershey.
The team set an American Hockey League playoff attendance record in 2023 with 138,053 fans over 16 games. Acrisure Arena was also chosen to host the 2025 AHL All-Star Game. All Firebirds games are broadcast on KDGL (106.9 FM), with additional TV coverage through local stations and services, including a 2024 deal that added more outlets for home games.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:00 (CET).