Seattle NHL team breaks ground on practice facility

SEATTLE — Seattle’s expansion NHL franchise broke ground on its practice facility just a few miles from the arena it will call home.

The facility will eventually house three full ice sheets and is part of a larger redevelopment project on the site of a former mall. The team's practice facility and headquarters are the centerpiece of the redevelopment project.

Seattle President and CEO Tod Lewieke says the practice facility is on a similar timeline as the team’s arena. Leiweke says the goal is to have the practice facility open in the summer of 2021.

"We want to inspire players we are hoping to recruit, we want to retain players, and we want word to get out around the NHL that Seattle is the place to play," Lewieke said.