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The Minnesota Monsters aren’t simply changing their name from the Duluth Harbor Monsters and tweaking the logo.
They’re moving their entire home schedule into Amsoil Arena beginning in 2026, stepping squarely into the region’s premier sports and entertainment venue and, in the process, announcing that they intend to operate like a serious franchise with long-term intentions in Duluth.
That’s not a small thing. And it shouldn’t be treated like one.
Amsoil is not a backup plan. It’s not a placeholder. It’s the beautiful home of Minnesota Duluth men’s and women’s hockey, one of the elite college hockey barns in the country. It’s where major national concert tours stop. It’s the region's recreational, convention and civic living room, where Duluth puts its best foot forward. Teams don’t move into that building unless they believe they belong there.
The Monsters and the DECC made that call together, and the message is clear: this franchise is done thinking small.
"Amsoil adds legitimacy for our team and the AF1, and is a strong forward step for the Monsters, Duluth and our state," Monsters owner Jacob Lambert said. "We're in a bigger, elite arena with better amenities than the Duluth Arena, which was nice and served us well the last two league championship seasons. Amsoil is a world-class facility that is a perfect first for our team, our fans and sponsors.
"Duluth has been so welcoming to our team. And let's give a little praise to the DECC. From start to finish during our negotiations for a new lease, (DECC Executive) Dan Hartman has been phenomenal. He understands what it means for me as a new owner coming in and what will work best for the DECC, our region and our team. He laid out a highly professional, fair, strong lease proposal, and I said 'Yes. Yes. Yes.' and signed the contract. Dan and his staff have put us on a bigger stage, and I suspect we'll immediately be the envy of the league."
Indeed, for too long, Duluth has been a city where minor league sports teams tested ideas rather than built institutions. Some came in light, played it safe, and left quietly. Others treated the market like a minor-league warmup or a temporary stop on the way to somewhere else. Fans noticed. They always do.
The Monsters feel different.
Lambert isn’t dabbling. He’s not waiting to see if the community “earns” his investment. He’s making one — upfront. Moving into Amsoil costs more. It demands more. It forces accountability. It also delivers credibility, both locally and across the league.
You don’t make that move unless you’re serious about winning people over.
The most immediate change will be the fan experience, and it’s impossible to overstate how important that is for arena football. This game thrives on proximity. Speed. Noise. Contact. Played inside a hockey arena, with fans seated right at the edge of the boards, it becomes an event instead of a curiosity.
This isn’t football watched from a distance. It’s football felt in the chest.
Amsoil was built for intensity. The sightlines are tight. The acoustics amplify everything. Every hit, every call, every swing in momentum lands harder. That matters in a sport that lives and dies by energy. Give arena football the right room and it rewards you for it.
This move also aligns the Monsters with Duluth’s most successful sports brand — Minnesota Duluth hockey — not by imitation, but by association. It places the team in the same physical and cultural space where excellence is expected, preparation is assumed, and fans show up knowing they’re part of something real.
That association alone changes perception.
It also strengthens the DECC at a time when versatility and repeat events matter more than ever. A spring and summer tenant that brings life, sound and regular crowds into downtown isn’t just another date on the calendar. It’s a stabilizer. It fills gaps. It introduces new fans to the building and keeps the lights on between headline acts.
That’s not nostalgia. That’s strategy, with Hartman's fingerprints all over it.
There’s a broader statement here, too — one that extends beyond Duluth. Playing in regional, big-league facilities elevates the nine-team national league itself. It tells players this is a place worth committing to. It tells sponsors this is a platform with visibility. It tells fans that the product respects their time and their money.
Arena football doesn’t need to pretend it’s the NFL. It just needs to stop acting like it’s temporary.
This move proves the Monsters understand that.
Duluth has always supported teams that show up honestly and invest consistently. The formula hasn’t changed. Don’t overpromise. Don’t disappear when things get hard. Build something people can recognize as theirs. When that happens, this city responds — not with blind loyalty, but with earned trust.
The Minnesota Monsters’ decision to move into Amsoil feels like a major step in that direction. It’s bold. It’s expensive. It’s visible. And it puts the franchise in a position where excuses disappear and expectations rise.
That’s exactly where serious teams choose to live.
Starting in 2026, arena football in Duluth won’t be tucked away. It’ll be front and center, showcased in the city’s biggest room, under the brightest lights. That doesn’t guarantee success. Nothing ever does.
But it does signal intent.
And for a community that’s seen too many half-measures over the years, intent matters
Howie, 71, is a veteran Hermantown print journalist and publisher of HowieHanson.com, which he has operated for 21 years. He is the region’s first and only full-time online daily columnist, covering local news, politics, business, healthcare, education and sports with an independent, community-centered voice. Hanson has spent more than five decades reporting on issues that shape the Northland.
