Wilmington native leads push for new multi-use venue to attract professional hockey team

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A new non-profit is leading the push for a new venue in Wilmington.

Wilmington native Michael Vollmin plays for a professional hockey team in Switzerland, and last summer, he created the Wilmington Arena Project.

“I just feel really called to give back to this community, my hometown,” Vollmin said.

As a kid, Vollmin said it was hard for his family to travel to all of his hockey tournaments.

Now that he’s a professional player…

“I come back here every summer and I do my training at the Wilmington Ice House, which is now owned by a private equity firm. So they’re just sucking all of the profits out of it and I see the deterioration.”

He says the Cape Fear needs a better venue.

“I say the kids need more, the kids need more.”

His goal is to raise support to build a 10,000-seat multi-use venue in Wilmington, big enough to attract an ECHL professional hockey team, which is the third tier of the National Hockey League.

UNCW’s club ice hockey coach is also involved as the program looks to try and move up in the club ranks.

A venue like this, Vollmin said, would host more than hockey.

“The economic benefit that would come to the city from that is astronomical, just from the curling aspect alone. Then you got the hockey, then you got the concerts, then you got, you know, the circus, rodeo, monster trucks.”

Leland resident Brian Zinkham said bringing professional sports to the Wilmington area will help as the region grows.

“We need hockey, we need some more sports here,” Zinkham said. “We had talked about putting, you know, baseball down at the Live Oak. I think it’s a great welcome and everything. I think the talks are what we need and if it comes to fruition, then lets see it.”

Wilmington Arena Project hosted a fundraiser last Saturday to cover the cost of a feasibility study for the venue.

More than 100 people attended, which Vollmin said shows there is a wellspring of support for the idea.

“If we’re gonna build this thing, it’s almost like the Field of Dreams, that baseball movie. Its like if you build it, they will come. And it’s going to be community driven, it has to, it has to be organic growth. It’s jobs, its community, it’s love, it’s pure love.”

Vollmin said once funded, the study would take 2 to 3 months, after which he would look at bringing the idea in front of city and county leaders.