Phoenix Suns and Mercury governor Mat Ishbia is interested in bringing an NHL team back to Arizona following the Coyotes' offseason move to Utah.

"I'm definitely going to be part of the community, and if I can help bring hockey back, I'll look at that," Ishbia told Barry M. Bloom of Sportico.

"It's definitely something I'm interested in. It's a four-sport town. I'm disappointed we don't have a hockey team, but I understand what happened, and we're going to try to fix that one day."

The Coyotes encountered much trouble finding a permanent home, to the point where they played a few seasons at Arizona State after the city of Glendale, Arizona and the Gila River Arena decided against renewing their operating agreement with the team following the 2021-22 season.

Ultimately, the Coyotes' roster, draft picks and hockey operations were sold to the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) for $1.2 billion, per Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick of Sportico. The SEG portfolo now includes the NBA's Utah Jazz, the MLS' Real Salt Lake, the NWSL's Utah Royals and now the new Utah NHL team.

So Arizona no longer has the NHL, but Ishbia wants that to change.

"I'm disappointed we don't have a hockey team here. That's what I'll say," he told Bloom. "Phoenix is a four-sport town. Maybe five if you want to include soccer, but it's a four-sports town. Baseball, football, basketball and hockey. And I hope that one day we'll be able to get hockey back."

Parallel to that wish is Ishbia's efforts to build a new arena, which could conceivably house the Suns, Mercury and a new NHL team.

"I think our arena is first-class right now. I love our arena," Ishbia said regarding the Suns and Mercury's arena, Footprint Center. "But at some point we're going to have to get a new arena."

He also added: "We're going to continue to evolve," Ishbia said. "My investment in basketball and this community's not going to stop."

Of course, a new arena could solve the problem the Coyotes were unable to answer when hoping for a long-term home. At the moment, bringing the NHL back to Arizona seems like a long-term goal, but one that Ishbia appears determined to make happen.