Rink

Upward Trajectory The vision for Wings Arena began little more than four years ago. A soft opening in July 2025 led to the grand opening on September 6 with great fanfare. The two-story, 40,000-square-foot facil- ity features one NHL-sized rink on the first floor along with a hockey training program. The second floor, which spans 10,000-square-feet, houses a Matterhorn Fit sports rehabilitation clinic, along with a gym and skate rental area. Matterhorn, which will focus on neurologically based rehabilitation and performance, is slated to open this fall. Wings Arena has space for more than 300 spectators in the rink. For the ath- letes, there are off-ice training and video rooms, skate services and a café. "It's not going to be t he biggest facilit y around, but I think it's really efficient in terms of space and what we're tr ying to create," Magnant said. "We'll have the off-ice training plus a video conference room and t wo of our locker rooms have big 85-inch T Vs so coaches can show drills and quick vid- C ONNECTICUT is the third-smallest state by area in the U.S. Still, The Constitution State has churned out its fair share of hockey talent, including NHLers Chris Drury, Cam Atkinson, Max Pacioretty and Nick Bonino. More than 12,000 players registered with USA Hockey in 2024-25—nearly 1,000 more players than the year prior. A new, state-of-the-art ice arena in Stamford, Connecticut will continue to foster that growth and so much more. "Everyone's very, very excited," said Francois Magnant, CEO of Wings Arena. "All of the feedback has been super positive. Anytime someone walks through the door, they're like, 'oh, this is going to be such a good, fun place to hang out.' That's what we want." 18 / SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER.2025 USICERINKS.COM Featured Rink Wings Arena | | Stamford, Conn. Sky's the limit for Wings Arena in Stamford, Connecticut PLANS FLIGHT by JESSI PIERCE

• Cover