Utica Welcomes the World for Women’s Ice Hockey Championship

When thinking of the top hockey areas in America, the region of Utica, New York, may not come to mind immediately.

That changes this week as the Mohawk Valley hosts the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship starting April 3 through April 14. The event will include 29 games and feature the top women’s hockey players from across the world.

“Our area punches way above its weight in class when it comes to the sport of hockey,” said Robert Esche, a former NHL and Olympic goalie who runs the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets, the New Jersey Devils’ top affiliate. “It’s the Olympics in a non-Olympic year. That’s what the world championships are and I think it’s almost like a gift just for everybody to be able to see it and to take part in it in Utica.”

Host venues will include the Adirondack Bank Center and Utica University Nexus Center. The estimated economic impact for Utica and the surrounding region is in the tens of millions of dollars. So how did a city with less than 70,000 people land a premier international hockey event?

“We started off just talking with USA Hockey and they recommended that we put a bid application in,” Esche said. “I don’t want to say I didn’t really take it too seriously, but I obviously didn’t think that Utica would have a chance of winning something this prestigious.

“We met all their requirements and exceeded them. So Tony Driscoll and Maddie Brown from USA Hockey flew in and the first thing I did was take them to Turning Stone, which is one of the most marquee properties in all of New York.”

Driscoll — the assistant executive director of marketing, communications and events — and Brown, the events director for USA Hockey, liked what they saw when visiting.

“It was a combination of things — their business model, the building and the facilities, the amenities that it can provide the player,” Driscoll said. “The player experience side of it was the best of the three finalists. There are about 60,000 people in the Utica area. It’s 45 minutes east of Syracuse and an hour west of Albany, so there’s two decent-sized cities there. And Buffalo is two-and-a-half hours away. The heat map looks pretty good.”

All Eyes on USA vs. Canada

There will be 10 teams playing over the 11 days, but the game every fan has circled is April 8 when the United States takes on rival Canada. Along with the seven-game Rivalry Series that takes place across North America each year, the teams have met in six of the seven Olympic Winter Games gold medal games all-time and 21 of the 22 IIHF world championship gold medal games all-time.

“It’s a big-time rivalry with a lot of history and tradition,” Driscoll said. “I would argue it’s probably the best rivalry, and the best game, in sports right now. And certainly within hockey. It’s highly competitive and a little bit chippy and all those fun things.”

The United States has won the gold in six of the past eight tournaments (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023) and 10 times overall, including a 6-3 win over Canada in en route to the gold medal last year.

Esche — the founder, owner and president of the Utica Comets since its inception 2013 — had an illustrious playing career. In addition to stints with the Phoenix Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers from 1998 through 2007, he played for the United States in the 2000 IIHF Men’s World Championships, the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and was a member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic team.

“I never really had the opportunity to play an international competition on home soil until we played in the World Cup in 2004,” Esche said. “We split between Montreal and Minnesota and it was so festive up there. You could hear a pin drop and you could hear the top come off the building all at the same time. The intensity for a U.S.­–Canada rivalry or the intensity of winning a gold medal for Team USA, it’s just so dramatic and so profound that I think that’s what the fans are really going to be shocked at.”

Esche says ticket sales are going well with several games already sold out, including the gold medal contest and the U.S. vs. Canada matchup.

“What’s neat about those types of games — whether it’s a gold medal game or a rivalry game of that magnitude — the best players have to be the best players,” Esche said. “And you notice the little things and you’re trying to get somebody to crack, whether it’s a goalie, whether it’s a defenseman that gets a little bit nervous and forces a pass. The games elevate and for the great athletes, they have the ability to slow them down. I can’t wait to watch those two teams line it up in Utica.”

Utica’s Time to Shine

The 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship will be America’s first time hosting the event since 2017 in Plymouth Township, Michigan. Driscoll speaks glowingly of Esche, Oneida County, Utica and everybody in putting the event together.

“I can’t say enough about Oneida County and (County Executive) Tony Picente and his group,” Driscoll said. “The investments they’ve made and the efforts they’re going through will make sure this is a world-class event. They know they don’t get too many shots at an event like this, so they’re doing everything in their power to make sure it’s successful, which is great. Robert is an integral part of the Comets and the community up there. Without Robert, we wouldn’t be doing this.”

Esche has the unique perspective of an elite athlete who has competed on every stage possible, and taken those experiences into account when planning this event.

“I really loved the Olympic Villages and the hospitality suites when I played in the Olympics,” Esche said. “So directly across the street we rehabbed a large building that used to have a basketball gymnasium inside of it. We put turf down, set up 20 TVs, got all sorts of games in there. And we’ve also created a concert series with Alexandra Kay opening on April 3 and we have Dylan Marlowe on the day of the gold medal game. Then we have a bunch of Nashville bands that are coming up and playing all the other days in between that.”

There will be a fan fest area around the concert stage that will feature a Ferris Wheel, fan spaces including games for hockey and for soccer plus a beer garden, merchandise for sale and food and beverage options.

As for the atmosphere in the arenas, Driscoll says the appetite for hockey in the Utica region is strong and he expects large crowds throughout the competition.

“There’s a long history of hockey there and there’s quite a bit of hockey that maybe people don’t readily recognize,” Driscoll said of the region. “You have Syracuse, Rochester and Utica with AHL teams. You have Buffalo in the NHL. And then you have a number of colleges that have men’s and women’s hockey like Cornell and Colgate, plus Utica University, which is a top-tier Division III school.”

Esche will wear several hats throughout the 11 days: Event organizer, Utica resident and former Team USA competitor, which is something that never fades.

“Being on home soil is going to be one of the most unbelievable things for not just the athletes, but the fans as well to be able to take part in,” Esche said. “Our hockey fans here only have to drive about 10 minutes to watch one of the most historical events that the Adirondack Bank Center has ever put on since it opened its doors in 1960. It’s very profound.”