FPHL Expansion Team Coming to Southaven's Landers Center for 2026–27 Season

Photo by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey

Hockey is officially making its return to North Mississippi. Beginning with the 2026–27 season, a new franchise in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) will call Southaven home, bringing professional hockey back to the Memphis metro area for the first time in nearly a decade. The team will play at the Landers Center, an 8,400-seat arena that opened in 2000 and has long served as one of the region’s premier indoor venues.  The Landers Center is no stranger to pro sports – since 2017 it has been home to the Memphis Hustle, the NBA G League affiliate of the Memphis Grizzlies. But for many fans in DeSoto County and beyond, this new team will bring back fond memories of when hockey was the main tenant in the venue.

From 2000 to 2018, the Landers Center was home to the Mississippi RiverKings of the Central Hockey League (2000-2010), followed by a run in the Southern Professional Hockey League from 2011 to 2018. During that time the franchise captured three division titles in the 2000–01, 2001–02, and 2008–09 seasons, along with two conference championships. Their crowning achievement came with back-to-back Ray Miron President’s Cup championships in 2001–02 and 2002–03, cementing their legacy as a powerhouse in the CHL.

Photo courtesy of the Landers Center

With the arrival of an FPHL franchise, the stage is now set for a new chapter, and potentially a new rivalry. With the Biloxi Breakers already established along the Gulf Coast, a natural in-state matchup could quickly emerge, connecting North Mississippi and the coast through a shared hockey culture. Southaven has proven it can support winning hockey, and the Landers Center has the history, location, and fan base to make it work again. If the past is any indication, the return of the puck could once again turn this corner of Mississippi into one of the most electric minor league hockey environments in the South.  At the same time, Southaven itself continues to grow as one of the fastest-rising cities in the Mississippi, and in the entire south.