Salt Lake City’s Delta Center Gets Hockey-Basketball Upgrade

The Delta Center aims to become the first dual-use basketball and hockey arena that works equally well for fans of both sports by using a retractable seating system designed exclusively for the Salt Lake City venue.

Smith Entertainment Group plans to spend summer 2025 kicking off a plan to change the seating in the lower bowl to make it more conducive for fans in Utah of both the NHL and NBA teams now playing in the arena, something that happened quickly ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season. The goal of the retractable seating riser system is to maintain close-to-the-action seating for fans of the NBA’s Jazz but also give NHL fans full views from every lower bowl seat. Future updates also include a new main entrance and outdoor plaza.

“Adding an ice rink inside an existing basketball arena is an unthinkable feat given that an ice rink is nearly double the size of a basketball court,” according to Ryan and Ashley Smith, co-founders of Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) and owners of Delta Center. “We are excited for the challenge as we kick off this never-before-done renovation project.”

Most arenas hosting both sports must design for hockey first due to the rink’s size, but that pushes basketball fans farther from the court. The new retractable sating system will host a 12-foot variance in elevation between rink and court endlines to offer optimal sightlines for both the NBA and NHL, SEG says. Every seat in the lower bowl will have a complete view of the ice to start the 2025-26 season. The new hockey configuration also adds capacity behind the goals and above and around the venue tunnels on the north and south side of the lower bowl while improving access to seating behind the boards.

For basketball, the riser system created by Michigan-based StageRight will consist of 29 rows of retractable seats that extend over 28 feet from the Level 3 concourse down to the court behind each baseline. It is designed to ensure the arena maintains its steep slope for Jazz fans.

When all renovations get completed, hockey capacity will increase from 11,131 to about 17,000 and basketball capacity jumps about 800 seats to 19,000. To make room for the new riser system, SEG must lengthen the arena bowl about 12 feet at each end, raise the floor two feet and install a new ice floor slab.

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“This transformation will create the most compelling, welcoming and exciting experience for hockey fans, while also allowing us to maintain the steep vertical seating for basketball that has made Delta Center such a dynamic venue with its loud atmosphere that energizes our players night after night,” the Smiths say.

SEG plans additional updates in 2025, including new premium spaces on Level 1, a 12% increase in restroom capacity, four dehumidifiers and a 450-stall parking structure. In the future, SEG plans to add an east-facing main entrance and plaza that will serve as a gateway to the heart of downtown while redesigning the existing plaza and concourses and remodeling the upper bowl seating to improve sightlines.

“By taking such significant steps to transform Delta Center into a world-class facility for both professional basketball and hockey, the Jazz and Utah’s NHL team will become anchors of downtown Salt Lake City for decades to come,” the Smiths say. “And fans will be further immersed in the game night experience both inside and outside the arena as we work to reimagine the downtown experience of Utah’s capital city.”