Potential names revealed for pro hockey team in Athens

Now under construction and scheduled to open in 2024, The Classic Center Arena will seat up to 8,500 for concerts, sports tournaments, family shows, conventions, and banquets. The arena will be home to the UGA Ice Dawgs and a new professional hockey team.

It has been revealed that an Athens team will compete in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, an 11-team professional hockey alliance that stretches from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico and includes another Georgia team, the Columbus River Dragons.

Executive Vice President Scott Hull announced that the top four candidates for the team’s name are the Athenians, the Athens Owls, the Rock Lobsters and the Classic City Panic.

The first home game is planned for Oct. 26 at the Classic Center.