Professional Hockey player hopes to build a stadium in Wilmington with community support

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) —A Wilmington native who turned his hockey dreams into a championship career overseas is now looking to bring something big back home—and he’s hoping the community will help make it happen.

Michael Vollmin was back in Wilmington Friday afternoon, preparing for a weekend event—a Carolina Hurricanes watch party at Riverfront Park in Downtown Wilmington, but beyond the game, Vollmin has a bigger goal in mind: bringing a hockey arena to the Port City.

“When I first moved here in 2004, there was no ice rink, so I was playing roller hockey at Jellybeans,” Vollmin said. “In late 2004, early 2005, they built the Wilmington Icehouse, so I was able to skate there pretty much every day.”

That early passion carried him far beyond Wilmington. Vollmin went on to play junior hockey, then at Babson College, before eventually taking his career overseas to Switzerland—where he reached the top of European competition.

“We won the Champions Hockey League—champions of Europe,” he said. “And I’m over here like… I’m just a kid from Wilmington, you know?”

Now, after experiencing that level of competition—and the intensity of international fan support—Vollmin wants to bring that same energy back home.

“The dream of the arena is 8,000 to 10,000 seats, housing professional ice hockey,” he said.

But the arena wouldn’t just be for hockey. Vollmin envisions a multi-purpose venue that could host basketball games, concerts, and other indoor events for the growing Wilmington community.

Still, turning that vision into reality comes with a significant price tag. Arenas of similar size—like Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte—can cost around $50 million.

That means Vollmin will likely need support from the city. However, his proposal comes at a time when other major projects, like the proposed Wilmington Aquatic Center, are also competing for funding.

Vollmin says the first step is building community support.

“We need to align the community with the public, because it’s going to take a public-private partnership,” he said.

That effort begins this weekend. Vollmin is hosting a Carolina Hurricanes watch party at Riverfront Park, where he hopes to raise awareness, gather support, and generate early momentum for the project.

“I’d like to make a life for myself back here, get back to my hometown, grow the hockey community here, and hopefully get an arena going,” he said. “Trying to impact the community—non-profit, for the people, by the people.”

The event will be free. For more information head to their website.