📍 San Jose, California
🏒 Home of the San Jose Barracuda

Tech CU Arena, the newest building to join the South Bay’s growing sports scene, is the intimate 4,200-seat home of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Sponsored by Technology Credit Union, the venue is the result of a $120 million expansion of the practice rink for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and was the first new hockey arena to open in California in more than a decade when it debuted in 2022.

The gleaming facility in San Jose ushered in a new era for the Barracuda, the top affiliate of the Sharks. The franchise relocated from Worcester, Massachusetts in 2015, departing New England for Silicon Valley. For their first six seasons, they shared the oversized SAP Center with the Sharks before settling into their new digs on San Jose’s south side. The shift created a more close-knit, fan-friendly atmosphere for players and fans alike.

Affectionately nicknamed “The Reef,” Tech CU Arena feels new and shiny – one of the nicer venues in the AHL. While the shape of the seating bowl isn’t the most unique, every seat offers an ideal view of the action. The first thing fans see upon entry is The Cove, an open bar and club at ice level behind one goal, which is prime real estate for hecklers within earshot of the opposing goaltender. Behind the social space is a sleek pro shop, whose inventory includes game-used gear and pucks. One concourse wall features jerseys of every AHL and NHL team, a U.S. map made of pucks and a mural of key dates in Barracuda history. Artistic renderings of Sharks legends such as Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau also decorate the concourse. Upstairs, Calder’s Sports Bar provides an elevated view for all ticketed fans, in addition to offering a variety of craft beers and hot bar food.

On the ice, the Barracuda have created a modest but meaningful legacy. Their greatest season came in 2016-17 with their first Pacific Division title, earning San Jose their lone banner that hangs from the rafters today. In-game presentation adds to that identity, borrowing themes from their NHL parent up the street. The team enters the ice through a pair of towering fins, a clear nod to the Sharks’ famous mouth entrance, as Heart’s 1977 hit “Barracuda” blasts throughout the arena. The crowd frequently responds with a rhythmic “Bar-ra-cu-da!” chant, or a call-and-response of “Barra!” and “Cuda!”.

While the design and aesthetic of The Reef doesn’t quite stand out, its value lies in fan and player amenities. For a franchise once defined by borrowed home ice, the Golden State’s newest hockey house lays the foundation for decades of Barracuda hockey in the South Bay.