A deal has been reached between Strathcona County and the Sherwood Park Crusaders Hockey Society for a new $86-million multipurpose arena to be built in the community just east of Edmonton.
“We support a private-public longstanding organization that has been important to the development of sport and young people,” Mayor Rod Frank said in a news release issued Tuesday.
Ryan Maxwell, the governor of the Sherwood Park Crusaders and a part-owner of the hockey club, said he appreciates Frank, Strathcona County councillors and county administrators “for all their support in this exciting project.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with the county over the past several years on our shared vision of a new facility,” he said.
The arena is to be built in an eastern part of Sherwood Park north of Greenland Garden Centre and across from a development called Cambrian. The hockey club is hopeful the facility will open in September 2026.
The arrangement will see the Crusaders paying for the construction of the facility, which is to include a four-sheet, ice-rink arena that can seat at least 2,500 people in the primary arena, while Strathcona County will provide the club with land as well as $990,000 each year for 20 years “to support the operations and maintenance of the facility and provide an equity investment.”
The city said that when the 20-year deal expires, the Crusaders will return the equity investment of $4 million to the county.
The arrangement will also include the Crusaders offer of at least 2,430 hours of ice time each year to the county for “community-based activities.”
“Entering into this type of partnership opens up possibilities,” Frank said. “It’s innovative and a win-win for all.
“Our community gains with substantial additional ice and event time for families, without the county taking on a large capital outlay or posing greater tax impact.”
He noted that the Crusaders provide a benefit to the community by entertaining hockey fans in the area.
The Crusaders currently play at the Randy Rosen Rink.
“The Crusaders have proudly represented Sherwood Park and Strathcona County since 1978 and will look forward to many more years supporting local sports with our ice commitment back to the county,” Maxwell said.
“Beyond the sports, it’s exciting to think of the top-tier events and concerts this facility will attract for the community as a whole.”
Adam Sergerie, the Crusaders’ general manager and president of hockey operations, said he is in his third season with the hockey club and that he has been involved in working on a plan for a new arena “since Day 1.”
“It’s really exciting,” he said. “It’s nothing against the Randy Rosen. It’s great. It’s been here for a long time and it’s done a great job for the team. But as time goes on, the league is starting to see more and more newer facilities.
“For us it’s become more of a challenge because facilities are a big part of the recruiting process for us to attract new hockey players. When you can have a newer building, a newer facility that is up to standards, it’s certainly going to make it a lot easier to attract some of the higher-end players.”
Sergerie noted that a new arena that includes a gym, meeting rooms and other amenities is “going to make life more efficient for us as a staff.”
“This is going to elevate things.”
Maxwell noted it took many years for Tuesday’s announcement to come to fruition and he knows there is “a lot of work ahead.”
“To have a new facility like this … I think it appeals to most of the residents,” he said, adding that there are area residents interested in being part of the project but that it is too early to say if the club will seek other investors.
Maxwell indicated the arrangement with the county has been key to moving the project forward and that the club will also speak to the provincial government and federal government about potential grant opportunities, but the Crusaders are “fully responsible for securing the financing.”
“(We’re looking at) conventional construction financing that will eventually be replaced by a mortgage,” he said. “We want to start moving dirt this spring if possible.”
The Crusaders are a “junior A” hockey club that spent decades competing with other teams in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Earlier this month, the club announced it had reached an agreement with the British Columbia Hockey League to begin competing in that league.
Four other AJHL clubs also left that league this season to join the BCHL.
The BCHL severed its association with Hockey Canada in May, saying at the time the move to a more independent league would allow teams in the league to recruit high-quality players from across Canada and beyond, while also creating new opportunities for players.
When asked Wednesday about why the club switched leagues, Maxwell said there were a number of factors that went into the decision but noted the quality of hockey being played in the B.C.-based league.
“The BCHL is viewed across Canada as the top tier-two junior hockey in the country,” he said. “For us … we thought that jump would be best for our players.”
“It drives better hockey into Sherwood Park … (and) ensures that we stay in Sherwood Park for a long time.”
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