The New York Islanders move up on the Forbes most valuable NHL teams list

Moving on up! In 2014, Forbes ran a headline that read, "Charles Wang Actually Got $485 Million For The New York Islanders." That same publication now has the team is now worth $1.02 Billion after the 50-year-old franchise edged up a spot, to No. 12, on the Forbes NHL team values list released on Wednesday. The Islanders' valuation is up 7% from the prior year.

When Forbes determines value at an enterprise level (equity plus net debt) which includes the economics of each team’s current arena deal but not the value of the real estate itself. As the article states, the Islanders ownership group owns a significant stake in New York Arena Partners, which operates UBS Arena. So for the purpose of the valuation, Forbes allocates a portion of the arena’s revenue and expenses to the hockey team.

Methodologies in valuation can and do vary. Last month, Sportico released its NHL team valuations, and the Islanders were ranked 13th amongst NHL franchises with a team value of $920M. Following their first season at UBS Arena, 2021-22 revenue was at $205M, up drastically from $66M generated during the 56-game 2021 season played at the Nassau Coliseum and from $94M in 2019-20 when the team played games at both the Coliseum and Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

For the first-time ever, Forbes has the average NHL franchise valuation topping 1 Billion dollars at 1.03B. Overall, that's 19% more than a year ago. The New York Rangers, worth $2.2 B, are the NHL’s most valuable team for the eighth consecutive year followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.