Hockey returns to Worcester's DCU Center

DCU Center A professional hockey team is set to return to the DCU Center in 2017. The location hosts many different events such as this NCAA game.

Write a Comment

By Sam Bonacci

The ECHL has voted to approve a new hockey team in Worcester, with play set to take place at the DCU Center beginning in October of 2017.

“Cliff Rucker made a very impressive presentation to our Board of Governors,” ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said in a statement referencing the recent decision and the owner of the Worcester team. “He laid out a strong business plan that has broad-based community support and is prepared to take the proper lead time to execute a successful introduction.”

The Worcester team will be the 29th in the league. Worcester will play its home games at the DCU Center.

“The DCU Center has a long history with hockey, and we knew there was a strong desire from the community to bring hockey back,” DCU Center General Manager Sandy Dunn said in a statement.

It was also announced Monday that that Toby O’Brien will serve as the team’s president and general manager. A Massachusetts native, O’Brien first worked in an ECHL organization in 1996, spending 10 years in leadership roles with the ECHL’s Johnstown Chiefs and then went on to roles with the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres.

The ECHL was founded in 1988 with five teams in four states. Since then, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 21 states and one Canadian province. There have been 586 players who started their career in the ECHL and then went on to play in the National Hockey League, including 17 who made their NHL debuts in the 2015-16 season.