Anson Carter leading group to bring NHL expansion team to the Atlanta area

Atlanta last had a team when the Thrashers called the city home in 2011

By Chris Bengel Mar 12, 2024 at 2:41 pm ET• 1 min read

Former NHL forward Anson Carter is leading the charge to bring an NHL expansion team to Atlanta. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Carter is leading the Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment Group that is attempting to bring an NHL expansion franchise to the city.

"I've lived in Atlanta since 2009, and I have no doubt that the best league in the world will thrive in its return to Metro Atlanta," Carter said in a statement. "I have been in dialogue with Commissioner Bettman since 2019 about an expansion team returning to the Fulton County Metro Atlanta market, knowing that the NHL franchise decisions are exclusively decided by the NHL Board of Governors."

The group's announcement also stated that the ASE Group is partnering with New York Life to work on putting an arena in Alpharetta, which is just north of downtown Atlanta.

The announcement also called Alpharetta "the largest hockey-playing community in Metro Atlanta" and the arena would be part of a "visionary development at the North Point Mall site" that would also feature an outdoor stadium for soccer or lacrosse.