NEW MEXICO’S LARGEST INDOOR MURAL TO BE UNVEILED AT NEW MEXICO ICE WOLVES 2026-2027 SEASON OPENING WEEKEND
“Spirit of New Mexico” Hand Painted Mural Celebrating Iconic New Mexico Culture Becomes a Must-See Year-Round Attraction at Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque
NM Ice Wolves Start their Eighth Season with a Huge Home Opening Weekend Packed with Family Friendly Activities on Friday, September 11, 2026 and Saturday, September 12, 2026 Against South Division Rival Odessa Jackalopes
(Albuquerque, NM) Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — The New Mexico Ice Wolves and Outpost Ice Arena today announced that their 2026-2027 North American Hockey League (NAHL) season opening weekend marks the reveal of the largest indoor mural in New Mexico with the landmark “Spirit of New Mexico” hand-painted mural from Albuquerque artist Johnpaul Gutierrez. The 4,200 square foot mural celebrates the state’s iconic culture and community pride serving as the perfect backdrop for the season opening weekend starting Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12 as the New Mexico Ice Wolves welcome South Division rival Odessa Jackalopes with both games at 6:30pm MT.
Opening weekend at Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque is a family friendly community event with activities including New Mexico Tourism Department Acting Cabinet Secretary Lancing Adams alongside Gutierrez performing a ceremonial puck drop on opening night, New Mexico Civil Air Patrol cadets honor guard presentation of the colors and meet-and-greet opportunities with Gutierrez during intermissions.
“Spirit of New Mexico” by Albuquerque artist Johnpaul Gutierrez
The “Spirit of New Mexico” mural spans a total of 4,200 square feet across the east wall of the north arena making it the largest indoor mural in the state and a new year-round tourist attraction in Albuquerque. The mural features iconic New Mexico culture from the Albuquerque area with a breathtaking sunset lighting up the famous Sandia mountains with nods to our area’s biggest tourist attractions including the Sandia Tram, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Rainbow Ryders, Creamland Dairy’s Airabelle balloon and more. The mural also prominently depicts the Rio Grande river with brilliant yellow fall foliage lining its shores and a nod to Albuquerque’s rich 300-plus-year history with the San Felipe de Neri Parish in Old Town. Gutierrez began painting on May 13, 2026 with Outpost Ice Arena cameras rolling and now four months later this timelapse captures the incredible journey: “Spirit of New Mexico”.
The State of New Mexico Tourism Department is a major contributor to “Spirit of New Mexico” providing details on the state’s new Centennial balloon and the NM True balloon that are featured in the mural with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, NM Ice Wolves, KOB4-TV, Sandia Tram, Rainbow Ryders, Creamland Dairies and more providing essential help with photos, input and ultimately their blessings of the mural.
The NAHL NM Ice Wolves enter their eighth season with second-year Head Coach and General Manager Kyle McKenzie and Assistant Coach Austin Alkire after finishing last season second in the South Division. Single game tickets start at $18 for Reserved Bleacher Seats and $31 for Reserved Stadium Chair Seats. Tickets can be purchased at https://tickets.nmicewolves.com/
The team has two hospitality suites available on a single game basis. Suites come with light snacks and fountain drinks and catering options, including adult beverages, are available for an additional charge. The Land of Enchantment Suite starts at $499 and seats 32, and the Sandia Suite starts at $599 and seats 42. Anyone interested in reserving a suite for a group or special event can contact suites@nmicewolves.com for more information. Suite hosts have the ability to treat their guests with tailor-made selections of beer, wine, spirits and signature cocktails through an option to add a bar via 312 Mobile Bar & Liquor Service.
To learn more about the NM Ice Wolves NAHL team, please visit the team website nmicewolves.com or on social media on X, Facebook, TikTok or Instagram and the arena at www.outposticearena.com. The NM Ice Wolves are also on YouTube where fans can watch every episode of the We Are Ice Wolves series taking viewers inside the pack following the team through this season, and previous seasons, showing the life of junior hockey players developing within the NM Ice Wolves organization and community.
All games for the NM Ice Wolves (NAHL & NA3HL) are streamed live on NAHL TV at home and on mobile devices. The NATV streaming service is designed and supported for viewing on home televisions by downloading the NAHL TV apps on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick and more. NATV can also be viewed on a PC, Android and iOS phones and tablets. Registering for an account is free here and the site can be viewed on a variety of screen sizes. All NM Ice Wolves home games are produced using 12 cameras, replays and live interviews with a unique internship program that teaches high school students how to do live sports production using a state-of-the-art dedicated production facility equipped with the help of the premiere mobile production company F&F Productions.
Become a part of the pack this season and check out the new NM Ice Wolves Fan Zone page on Yepple available via mobile and desktop browsers. The interactive fan engagement platform connects NM Ice Wolves fans to tickets, game predictions, roster information, the Chilly’s Pro Shop for NM Ice Wolves gear, fun trivia, and lets fans register for chances to win prizes including game-worn jerseys and much more.
About Johnpaul Gutierrez
Johnpaul Gutierrez is a self-taught artist born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. He began his artistic journey as a child drawing his favorite comic book characters and Saturday morning cartoons. After being introduced to graffiti, Johnpaul set out to push his creative limits through color and absurd characters. Inspiration struck again after discovering traditional drawing and painting techniques while also learning how to draw the human form. After finding an immense love for art history Gutierrez began building his technical abilities and combining that with his love for cartoons and comics. After a few chance meetings he began painting murals for Route 66 Casino and various casinos for the Laguna Pueblo. He also painted murals and various other projects for Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in Opelousas, Louisiana. The biggest mural to which he contributed was the exterior of the Lowe’s hardware store on the Westside of Albuquerque. From murals, faux painting walls in residences and restaurants to gallery artist and freelancer he has garnered a wide range of experiences and abilities. To this day he continues to marry traditional art techniques with a surreal, illustrative cartoon style utilizing various mediums and techniques.
About NAHL
Celebrating its 52nd season in 2026-27, the NAHL is the oldest and one of only two USA Hockey Certified tuition-free junior hockey leagues. Boasting 36 teams across the U.S., the NAHL develops young men through hockey while providing those with college hockey aspirations a place to play, develop, and advance. The NAHL continues to be one of the best places in the world at advancing players to the NCAA and eventually professional hockey.
The NAHL is part of the USA Hockey National Junior Development Model, which includes the USHL, the US National Team Development Program and the NA3HL where the NM Ice Wolves have a development team that also plays at the Outpost Ice Arena. The NAHL works closely with NCAA College Hockey, the NHL, the USHL, and USA Hockey’s National Development Program in order best serve as an imperative piece in the development system for collegiate and professional hockey.
During the 2025-26 season, the NAHL had 410 NCAA committed players with 54% of those being NCAA Division I commitments. Additionally, 23% of all NCAA Division I freshmen played hockey in the NAHL. Over the course of the last eight seasons, 2,190+ NAHL players have made NCAA commitments and 36 have been drafted into the NHL.