Season ticket sales for Las Vegas NHL team exceed 15,000

Bill Foley, Las Vegas billionaire businessman and owner of the new National Hockey Leagueexpansion team, smiles during a news conference at Encore Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 22, 2016. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @jlscheid

Businessman and recipient of the NHL expansion for Las Vegas Bill Foley appears on the red carpet prior to the annual NHL Awards program Wednesday at the Hard Rock Hotel. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau)

Businessman and recipient of the NHL expansion for Las Vegas Bill Foley appears on the red carpet prior to the annual NHL Awards program Wednesday, June 22, 2016, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau)

New Las Vegas National Hockey League (NHL) team owner Bill Foley, left, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announce the league's expansion to Las Vegas in a news conference held at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 22, 2016. Bettman announced the expansion franchise to Las Vegas after the league's board of governors met earlier in the day. (Mark Damon/Las Vegas News Bureau)

Joe Maloof, from left, Bill Foley and Gavin Maloof, pose for a photo at a party to celebrate Las Vegas' new NHL expansion team, June 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. Foley teamed with the Maloof family to purchase the franchise, and reported that deposits for season tickets have already exceeded 15,000. Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Foley, owner of Las Vegas' NHL expansion team, speaks at a victory party to celebrate the state's first major league sports franchise, June 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. Foley predicted his team would make the playoffs within three years, and said deposits for season tickets have already exceeded 15,000. Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Foley, owner of Las Vegas' NHL expansion team, socializes with guests at a party to celebrate the state's first major league sports franchise, June 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. Foley predicted his team would make the playoffs within three years, and said deposits for season tickets have already exceeded 15,000. Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Foley, right, owner of Las Vegas' NHL expansion team, with Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, speaks at a party to celebrate the state's first major league sports franchise, June 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. Foley said deposits for season tickets have already exceeded 15,000. Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Foley, right, owner of Las Vegas' NHL expansion team, and Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, speak at a party to celebrate the state's first major league sports franchise, June 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. Foley said deposits for season tickets have already exceeded 15,000. Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Foley, owner of Las Vegas' NHL expansion team, socializes at a victory party to celebrate the state's first major league sports franchise, June 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. Foley predicted his team would make the playoffs within three years, and said deposits for season tickets have already exceeded 15,000. Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Foley, owner of Las Vegas' NHL expansion team, speaks at a victory party to celebrate the state's first professional sports franchise, June 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. Foley predicted his team would make the playoffs within three years, and said deposits for season tickets have already exceeded 15,000. Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Foley’s private celebration Thursday night at his Summerlin offices produced more good news for his NHL expansion franchise.

Foley announced that deposits for season tickets had grown to over 15,000. Almost 1,000 were sold since Wednesday’s announcement that officially welcomed Las Vegas to the league was made by commissioner Gary Bettman until the close of business Thursday.

By Friday morning, the number reached 15,100 and was still growing.

“Obviously, we’re very, very pleased,” said Todd Pollock, the team’s vice president of ticketing and sales. “But we’re not totally surprised given the support we’ve received from the community.

“All the ‘Wait-and-see’ people are now in the ‘Go’ mode.”

Pollock said deposits are still being accepted through the team’s website, VegasIsHockey.com. The team is expected to cap sales on season tickets to just over 16,000 to have some tickets available for public sale to individual games in the inaugural 2017-18 season, as well as meeting league requirements to have tickets available for the opposing team, the Las Vegas team staff and the league itself.

Capacity at T-Mobile Arena for hockey will be 17,500.

“We have some seats downstairs,” Pollock said. “Everything else is sold. Once we sell out completely, we will start a waiting list for those who are interested in purchasing season tickets.”

BETTING ON VEGAS

Bettman surely is happy about the growing season ticket sales for Foley’s team, but he might not be thrilled that odds have already been established in some of the local sports books for how Las Vegas will fare during 2017-18 season.

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has Las Vegas at 100-1 to win the Stanley Cup in its inaugural season. At Station Casinos, the sports books have put the total points produced by Las Vegas in 2017-18 at 72½ based on an 82-game schedule. The odds for betting the over or under on the 72½ total are minus-110.

Station’s sports books has also put up a line for the first Las Vegas home game, even though the schedule won’t be out until next June. The visiting team is at minus-170 with Las Vegas at plus-150.

There are also prop bets for the opener on how Las Vegas’ first goal will be scored. A full-strength goal is listed at 1-2, and a power play goal is 2-1. A shorthanded goal is 10-1, and a goal off a penalty shot is 25-1. The odds that no goal is scored in regulation is 4-1.

SAVE THE DATE

The NHL expansion draft will be held June 20, 2017. It will be the first opportunity for Las Vegas to stock its roster, and Foley wants to hold a public viewing party.

“We’ve got to work out all the details, but I’m hoping we can do something inside (T-Mobile Arena),” Foley said. “Our fans are going to want to follow who we pick, and we want them there with us when we select our players.”

Las Vegas will draft one player from each of the 30 existing NHL teams.

Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow on Twitter: @stevecarprj