Utica University Nexus Center chalks up win for Oneida County

UTICA — Two years after opening, the Utica University Nexus Center is not just meeting Oneida County’s expectations, but also exceeding them, the county’s leader says. First announced in 2017, the $64 million sports complex opened in November 2022, and has been busy ever since, according to Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. “In that two-year time period, almost every weekend has been occupied,” he tells CNYBJ in an interview. And that’s not counting the normal weekday operations and big events the venue has hosted including the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship this past April and the World Box Lacrosse Championships in September. From world championships to youth sports tournaments, the venue has remained steadily busy since opening, exceeding all early expectations, Picente says. “We had these visions of success, but we thought it would take a little more time to ramp up,” he says. Oneida County projected the Nexus Center could host two dozen hockey and lacrosse championships annually, bringing in more than 320,000 visitors and generating over $26 million in visitor spending. The Nexus Center offers an ideal setting both geographically, right in the center of the state, and opened at the right time to capitalize in the growing tournament market, Picente says. “It just opened up a whole new venue for these tournaments to come to,” he says, adding that the next closest venues of comparable size are in Buffalo; Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Toronto, Canada. Oneida County committed $32 million on bonds to fund the center along with securing a $22 million grant from the state and raising the hotel and occupancy tax to 5 percent to fund the project. The idea was that the bed tax would pay for Nexus, “and that’s what it’s been doing,” Picente says. Hotel occupancy rates have risen from an average of about 59 percent in 2022 to almost 62 percent in 2024, according to Oneida County Tourism. “The Nexus Center has significantly boosted tourism in Oneida County, drawing visitors from across the country and beyond for events like the International Ice Hockey Federation tournament and the Lacrosse Box Championships,” Oneida County Tourism Interim President Pietra Yozzo tells CNYBJ in an email statement. “On a personal note, as a hockey mom and a proud spectator, I’ve seen firsthand how the Nexus Center has energized our community, filling local hotels and restaurants with enthusiastic guests.” At nearly 170,000 square feet, the 1,200-seat sporting facility features three multipurpose 200-foot-by-85-foot playing surfaces that can be used as ice sheets or turf. There are times the venue offers open skating to the public. Utica University sports medicine students gain real, professional experience at the venue, which also features classrooms, faculty offices, and conference/meeting rooms. The Nexus Center also serves as the home of the Utica University’s women’s hockey team and the Utica Jr. Comets Junior A hockey team, and as a practice and training facility for the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets. While the venue itself is sports focused, it’s part of a bigger picture in both welcoming people to the region and adding to the area’s offerings and quality of life, Picente says. “Since Nexus opened, almost 40 percent of visitors are from out of state,” he notes. Those visitors have visited other attractions in the area, dined at area restaurants, and saw what the greater Utica area and central New York have to offer. Some of those people may choose to come back here for vacations, he says, while others may even choose to move here. “I think that bodes well for us when we’re attracting industry,” Picente says.