San Jose Sharks President Jonathan Becher listens to questions during a press conference announcing Ryan Warsofsky as the new head coach of the San Jose Sharks at the SKeynoteUSA Center in San Jose, California, on Monday, 17 June 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE – After years of declining attendance and poor results on the ice, Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, has reason to be optimistic about the future of his NHL team.
After hitting rock bottom last season, Becher says fan interest is increasing and ticket sales are increasing. The Sharks possess one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and will soon add a crown jewel in center Macklin Celebrini.
Becher and the Sharks are also optimistic that they will be able to update the terms of their SKeynoteUSA Center lease with the city of San Jose before the deal becomes decidedly unfavorable to the organization.
The agreement the Sharks and the city reached in 2015 called for the team to play its home games at the facility for a fixed term through July 1, 2025, and for the lease to be renewed annually through 2040. Without a new agreement, the city could potentially charge the Sharks more each year to play at the arena, which has been the team’s home since 1993.
“We would like to redo the agreement for this building before 2025 and, frankly, I think the city would like to do that too. But you’d have to ask them,” Becher said inside the SKeynoteUSA Center on Monday after coach Ryan Warsofsky’s introductory news conference.
“If this goes as I hope, then we would extend the agreement probably beyond 2040.”
At a forum last month about the future of downtown San Jose, Mayor Matt Mahan mentioned those discussions, adding: “I’m very committed to keeping the Sharks here. Not just stay here, but grow and prosper here.”
A potential sticking point in lease negotiations would be who would pay for upgrades to the 31-year-old facility, one of the oldest in the NHL. Recent improvements have included a new center-hung scoreboard and an ice plant, with work also taking place on the south concourse this summer.
Becher said talks with the city and Mahan have gone well so far.
“I would say that, unlike some of the things you sometimes see in the Bay Area, we have a very strong relationship with the city of San Jose,” Becher said.
The Sharks’ average paid attendance last season was 13,559, or 77.8% of the SKeynoteUSA Center’s 17,435-seat capacity for hockey. That percentage was the lowest in the NHL, as the Sharks sold the equivalent of 8,200 full-season ticket packages for 2023-24.
Becher said ticket sales increased last month after the Sharks won the Draft lottery and signed top prospect Will Smith to an entry-level contract, noting that the team saw a small increase in sales the week passed after Warsofsky was named the next head coach.
Celebrini said he will decide whether to turn pro or return to Boston University after the NHL Draft later this month. Becher predicted that if Celebrini “actually shows up on the ice, as opposed to when he declares to turn pro, I think that will be another hurdle.
“I don’t know if the actual announcement of his arrival will change the trajectory because it’s a pretty interesting trajectory. I think that the moment he appears, seeing him and his linemates, could also give another trajectory.”
Becher did not say how many full-season ticket equivalents the Sharks have sold for 2024-25, “but it will be significantly higher than last year.”
Becher said season ticket prices for 2024-25 have increased 2%, with the cost of the stadium’s most premium seats accounting for much of that increase. Suites on the lobby level are nearly sold out, as are seats in the exclusive Penthouse Lounge. There are still several superior suites available, Becher said, and corporate partnerships “are doing very well.”
Becher still has questions about construction on BART’s long-awaited extension to Silicon Valley, which finally began last week and is expected to pass under Santa Clara St. Becher said it won’t affect the SKeynoteUSA Center for the upcoming Sharks season. .
The project, estimated to cost nearly $13 billion, includes a six-mile BART line from Berryessa Transit Center in north San Jose to downtown and west to Santa Clara, adding four stations along the way. The line is planned to open in 2037.
“BART’s mitigation plan on how to make sure it doesn’t impact this building has not been made public,” Becher said. “We have seen some early signs and I think there is still a lot of work to do.
“They also can’t tell us yet when exactly it will affect our building, but there is still a way out. Not that it’s going to happen this season, and it’s still up for debate if it will happen next season as well. So it’s not what I would call urgent. “It is important but not yet urgent.”
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