November 19, 2025

New names emerge at Kraken Iceplex in Kirkland

Rendering by Generator Studio [enlarge]

The goal is to open the new building in 2027.

The city of Kirkland hasn't yet approved an expected 34-year ground lease for its Houghton Park & Ride property. However, city council presentation materials from last month indicate that Seattle Hockey Partners, the corporate parent to the Kraken, is well on track to ink a deal in coming months. The city and SHP will probably make a joint announcement at that time.

Planning began two years ago for a then unspecified sports/community center. Early this year, SHP filed the only serious response to the city's request for proposals.

The goal is still to break ground next year on the roughly 5-acre site at 6920 116th Ave. N.E. That's east of Interstate 405, at the Northeast 72nd Place overpass.

SHP will underwrite the entire project cost for the two-rink facility, to span some 94,000 square feet. The architect is Generator Studio, of Missouri, which also designed the Kraken's Northgate facility.

No general contractor has been declared. Forge Building Co. of Boise will fabricate the mostly pre-engineered metal structure, and may assemble it, too. A possible build time of merely 13 months has been mentioned.

Stantec is in charge of the lighting, fire safety, acoustics MEP, and ice engineering. SHP's team also includes Coughlin Porter Lundeen, civil engineer; GGLO, landscape architect; Bush, Roed & Hitchings, surveyor; and Holmes, structural engineer.

Opsis Architecture is advising the city, as it reviews the plan. The facility is to include a 2,400-square-foot restaurant, with a full kitchen and beer and wine service.