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Fire ‘n’ Ice Arena is a 250,000 sq ft sports complex at 2727 W Bronco Butte Trail in north Phoenix, opening September 2026
The roughly $190 million facility packs two full-size NHL ice rinks plus a synthetic training rink, five basketball/volleyball courts, a 2,500-seat event arena, a boutique hotel, three restaurants, a gym, a spa, pickleball and a boarding sports academy under one roof, just east of I-17 near Sonoran Desert Drive.
The CEO told ABC15 the grand opening is scheduled for September 1, 2026. Phone: (602) 314-2552. Public skating, adult leagues, the restaurants and the hotel are open to everyone — not just academy athletes.
Anyone who’s driven the I-17 north of Happy Valley Road over the last few years has watched this thing go from an abandoned concrete shell to the biggest sports building in the Valley. The project stalled before the pandemic, sat there, and came back to life when SSS Academies took it over — CEO Shubham Pandey told ABC15 that $183 million in financing was approved on November 6, 2025 to finish it, and that his own three hockey-playing kids are a big part of why a hockey-first building got built in the desert. AZ Big Media puts the total project around $190 million.
Full disclosure on why we’re covering it: north Phoenix’s 85085 is one of the fastest-growing pockets in the state — the TSMC corridor, Norterra, Sonoran Foothills — and it has never had anything like this. Here’s everything confirmed so far, from someone who will absolutely be in line for open skate.
Fire ‘n’ Ice Arena: the key facts
| Detail | Confirmed info |
|---|---|
| Address | 2727 W Bronco Butte Trail, Phoenix, AZ 85085 — east of I-17 near Sonoran Desert Drive, north Phoenix |
| Opening | September 2026; grand opening scheduled September 1, 2026 (CEO to ABC15) |
| Size / cost | 250,000 sq ft; ~$190M project, $183M phase-two financing approved Nov 2025 |
| Ice | 2 full-size NHL rinks + 1 synthetic training rink; public skating and Learn to Skate programs |
| Courts | 5 multi-sport courts with Tier 1 NBA floor technology — basketball, volleyball, pickleball club |
| Event venue | 2,500-seat main arena for games, tournaments, concerts and shows |
| Hotel | Fire N Ice Hotel — boutique, roughly 100 rooms, walking distance, open to the public |
| Dining | The Lava’s Edge Bar & Grille, Lava’s Edge Sports Bar (270° bar, pizza oven), Apex Life Café |
| Wellness | Apex Fitness gym ($150/mo), Thaw Spa & Salon, recovery center, golf simulator |
| Contact | (602) 314-2552 · info@firenicearena.com · firenicearena.com |
Why two NHL rinks in north Phoenix is a bigger deal than it sounds
Valley hockey has an ice problem. Youth hockey kept growing after the Coyotes left for Utah in 2024, but the ice didn’t — families in north Phoenix and Anthem have been driving to the Ice Den in Scottsdale or AZ Ice in Peoria for 6 a.m. practice slots for years. Pandey said it plainly to ABC15: hockey in Phoenix is “lacking… as far as the ice sheets and the availability.” Two new NHL sheets plus a synthetic rink that doesn’t melt in a 115° August is the single biggest addition of ice the north Valley has ever gotten.
It also comes with a team. Fire ‘n’ Ice will be home to the Phoenix Inferno, an NA3HL junior hockey expansion club coached by Troy Mick, playing out of the 2,500-seat main venue — which gives the 85085 something it has never had: a hometown team you can walk to from a hotel bar.
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The building sits in the middle of the fastest-building stretch of the Valley — the TSMC semiconductor campus, the new Loop 303 employment corridor and thousands of new rooftops in Sonoran Foothills and Union Park. If you’re coming from Anthem or Cave Creek it’s a straight shot down I-17 or Sonoran Desert Drive; from Scottsdale, budget real freeway time. The hotel next door exists precisely because tournament families were never going to find rooms this far north otherwise.
What’s inside for regular people (not just hockey families)
Public skating, leagues and drop-in play
The facility runs public open skating, Learn to Skate, figure skating, youth leagues, adult leagues (18+), an Active Seniors 55+ program and drop-in sessions across hockey, basketball, volleyball and pickleball. Curling is listed as coming this September, boxing joins in year two, and fencing is slated for 2027. Session prices haven’t been published yet — call (602) 314-2552 or check the site’s programs pages once doors open.
Gym, spa and the golf simulator
Apex Fitness is a full gym — cardio deck overlooking the rink, weight floor, spin, yoga, HIIT and Pilates classes — at a published $150/month. There’s a Thaw Spa & Salon with massage and athlete recovery treatments, plus a golf simulator for the June-through-September months when nobody in their right mind is walking 18. A founding Charter Membership is listed at $1,295 with priority booking and VIP opening access.
Three places to eat, one hotel
The Lava’s Edge Bar & Grille is the sit-down option with views over both the ice and the courts; the second-floor Lava’s Edge Sports Bar wraps 270° around the action with a copper-hooded pizza oven; Apex Life Café handles smoothies and grab-and-go. All open to the public, as is the roughly 100-room boutique Fire N Ice Hotel next door — built so visiting tournament teams and families have somewhere to stay in a part of town where, as our Arizona hotels and resorts directory shows, options thin out fast north of the 101.
SSS Academy: the school inside the arena
The part no other Valley rink has: Fire ‘n’ Ice doubles as a boarding sports academy for grades 9–12. SSS Academy students split their day roughly four hours of accredited schoolwork and four hours of training — hockey, basketball and volleyball in year one — with academics run through the Alpha One AI platform and Online School of Arizona, and boarding or billet-family options for out-of-town athletes. Pandey, who has been involved with the IMG academy model in Florida, told ABC15 the plan is to build six of these across the southern U.S., starting with this one. Admissions and tuition run through firenicearena.com/academy.
Fire ‘n’ Ice Arena: your questions
When does Fire ‘n’ Ice Arena open?
September 2026. CEO Shubham Pandey told ABC15 in June 2026 that the grand opening is scheduled for September 1, 2026, with the hotel opening alongside it. Check firenicearena.com or call (602) 314-2552 for opening-week events.
Where is Fire ‘n’ Ice Arena?
2727 W Bronco Butte Trail, Phoenix, AZ 85085 — north Phoenix, east of I-17 near Sonoran Desert Drive, north of Happy Valley Road and the Norterra area. It’s the huge building you can see from the freeway.
Is Fire ‘n’ Ice Arena open to the public, or members only?
Open to the public. The restaurants, sports bar, café, hotel, public skating sessions, adult and youth leagues and drop-in play are all general-community offerings; memberships add gym access and booking priority. The CEO told ABC15 weekends and early mornings are when community use runs full tilt.
How much does it cost?
Published so far: Apex Fitness gym membership $150/month and a founding Charter Membership at $1,295. Public-skate admission, league fees, hotel rates and academy tuition hadn’t been posted as of late August 2026 — this page will be updated as prices go live.
Is there a new hockey team at Fire ‘n’ Ice?
Yes — the Phoenix Inferno, an NA3HL junior hockey expansion team coached by Troy Mick, will play in the 2,500-seat main venue. The arena also hosts hockey tournaments, showcases and camps year-round on its two NHL sheets.
Are there other ice rinks in Phoenix?
A handful, and they’re busy — that scarcity is the whole reason this project exists. Fire ‘n’ Ice’s two NHL rinks plus a synthetic sheet make it the largest ice facility in the north Valley the day it opens. For more things worth driving to, our Arizona things to do guides cover the rest of the Valley’s new arrivals, like PopStroke in Scottsdale and the Buc-ee’s in Goodyear.
Opening a business near Fire ‘n’ Ice or in north Phoenix?
The 85085 is about to get a lot more foot traffic. AZ Charged hand-verifies every listing — no pay-to-rank, ever. Get your restaurant, shop or service in front of the families this arena is bringing north.
📞 Got a business to recommend or list? Call (888) 863-7421 — serving all of Arizona
