Braemar Arena is set to undergo a $45.2 million expansion this summer and is set to finish in fall of 2027. The expansion will include reconstruction of Braemar’s outdoor ice rink to become an additional indoor rink, updated lobbies, and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant accessibility measures for all rinks.
Since the 1960s, there have only been touchups to infrastructure in the arena. Lately, certain infrastructures including the ice chiller for the South Rink failed due to overuse and age, leading to the rink’s closure for three weeks.
“It happened as Edina High School hockey tryouts were happening, Edina Hockey Association’s teams were beginning practices, [and] games and tournaments and the Braemar City of the Lakes Figure Skating Club was in full swing,” Project Communications Coordinator for the City of Edina Communications department Steve Peckham wrote to Zephyrus in an email. “Braemar Arena staff worked around the clock to remedy the situation and ultimately brought in a temporary chiller, but during those three weeks, user groups were scrambling to find ice time elsewhere.”
The increasing demand for ice time in the Edina community is due to growing hockey programs and contributes to Braemar’s need for updates.
Weather also poses a major obstacle in whether an outdoor rink can be used or not, which is why the reconstruction will be converting the outdoor rink into a fourth indoor rink.
Edina residents had voted and approved half-cent sales in addition to taxes to fund the $45.2 million project. In a recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota, 54% of this tax will be coming from non-residents who use the Braemar Arena.
The reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Braemar rinks requires specific care and attention as the arena is a “legacy hub” for ice sports in Edina.
“Braemar Arena is an iconic facility and a major hub for hockey, figure skating, and learn-to-skate programs that attracts more than one million visits every year from the United States and other countries,” Peckham wrote. “The expansion is expected to increase visits.”
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on Feb. 19, 2026
