MetroCentre Gets $23M Upgrade

The 10,000-seat MetroCentre in Rockford, Ill., will undergo $23 million worth of upgrades in a deal with the city to transform the building and become home to an AHL hockey team.

Renovations are planned to start immediately and be completed in the next year, a venue representative told Pollstar in a written statement.

Improvements include a façade upgrade, reorientation of one of the entrances, the addition of 12 corporate suites, 200 new club seats and a 300-capacity upper deck at the south side of the arena. The restroom capacity will also be doubled and a new video scoreboard installed.

As part of the announcement, the arena unveiled a deal to bring the Chicago Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate to the arena, renamed to keep the Rockford IceHogs name, which will replace the current UHL hockey team that plays there under the same name. The Rock River Raptors arena football team also plays there.