The hockey jerseys are still a familiar sight around downtown Mobile, their cartoonish dragon curled around a purple and gold “M” logo evoking memories of a team long gone.
Yet the retro look may soon feel less like nostalgia and more like a preview of what’s ahead. With a new minor league hockey franchise preparing to launch, those old Mysticks jerseys could be hinting at something that becomes official in June.
“I’ve seen many Mysticks jerseys,” said Andrew Kaufmann, CEO with Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, the Jacksonville-based owners of the future team that will play its home games inside the Mobile Arena beginning in October 2027. “Those are great jerseys.”
“You’re looking for a tell, and I’m not going to give it to you,” Kaufmann said, while pressed by the local media on whether the new team’s name will be the same as the former hockey team’s name that played its last home game inside the former Civic Center Arena 24 years ago this month.
Kaufmann said he wants the name, its logo, and ticketing information about the team revealed during what he calls an “epic event” in June. For now, he and other dignitaries gathered outside the arena construction site to acknowledge and celebrate a milestone with a topping-out ceremony for the future sports and entertainment venue.
City leaders, construction managers, and representatives with the Oak View Group, the Colorado-based company that signed a 22-year deal last year to manage the new arena, all signed a beam that was lifted to the top of the structure to mark that roughly 50 percent of construction is completed.
“It’s an incredible milestone,” said Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis, who has publicly advocated for the Mysticks brand to be returned for the new hockey franchise. “The completion of the structural frame and setting to the highest point of the arena means we are officially at the halfway point.”
Speakers at the ceremony emphasized that the arena represents more than a major construction project. They described it as a catalyst for more events, concerts, entertainment, and, of course, the return of minor league professional hockey.
“This arena isn’t just a structure rising out of the ground in downtown Mobile, it’s a $300 million investment into opportunities – jobs, increased tourism and new energy for small entrepreneurs,” Council President C.J. Small said.
Mardi Gras
The new venue will also host Mardi Gras balls beginning in January 2027, immediately after construction is completed.
Greg O’Dell, president of venue management with OVG, said his company has already begun meeting with mystic societies about hosting their balls inside the venue. More meetings are planned in the coming months, he said, with discussions expected to cover layout, logistics, and costs.
O’Dell and Cheriogotis both acknowledged that some organizations may feel uncertain about the costs of using a new facility. The groups, prior to 2025, held their elaborate annual balls inside the old Civic Center that was originally opened in 1964. It’s unclear how much rental rates ranged at the old Civic Center Arena for Mardi Gras in 2024, the last year it was used by mystic societies.
“First and foremost, we’ll listen,” O’Dell said. “We want to make sure we are driving value and making sure we are having an experience (for Mardi Gras). But there has to be a balance. We want to make sure it’s affordable.”
Cheriogotis said the city is committed “to making sure there are no financial hardships that prevent our groups from wanting to do what they want to do.”
The mayor said he is already meeting and discussing plans for the 2027 Carnival season, which will arrive earlier than usual with Mardi Gras Day on February 9.
“It’s an early Mardi Gras and we have no time to waste,” he said. “We’ll make sure the arena is ready for Mardi Gras and that Mardi Gras is ready for the arena.”
On schedule, below budget
Carnival season aside, the arena remains “on schedule and on budget,” Cheriogotis said. He added that the next major announcement could come in the coming weeks, potentially revealing a title sponsor and a new name for the facility.
The project may also be under budget compared to earlier estimates. The council will vote next Tuesday on a $294,460 contract with Henderson Building Solutions for inspection-related work at the arena, nearly half of what was originally budgeted.
“I’m not prepared to make that commitment at this point since we’re only 50 percent done,” said Sam Matheny, project manager with Volkert Inc., the company overseeing the project. “We are under budget … but a lot of things can still happen.”
Mobile Arena
Progress: Mobile Arena construction is currently 50% complete.
Construction Material 3,250 tons of steel have been used in the construction.
Seating Capacity: The future arena will feature 10,275 seats.
Opening Date: The arena is on track to open in January 2027.
Future Hockey Team: A new hockey team will play in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).
SPHL Teams: Other teams in the league include the Birmingham Bulls, Knoxville Ice Bears, Huntsville Havoc, and the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
Mardi Gras Events:The arena will host Mardi Gras balls starting in January 2027.
The construction team is led by B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, whose management has pledged to have the arena open before next year’s Carnival season. The firm received a $237.4 million contract to build the venue in February 2025, and the Mobile City Council approved a 20-year, $250 million bonding arrangement to finance the project.
Dan Price, senior vice-president with B.L. Harbert, said he anticipates having the entire structure enclosed within a few months, likely before the start of hurricane season in early June.
“This milestone today is about completing the structure,” Price said. “The next milestone is completing the roof so the structure is not susceptible to weather. That’s the reason for these milestones. They signify getting that risk behind you.”