Will NHL’s ruling body announce a local team during Vegas visit?

The National Hockey League’s ruling body, the Board of Governors, is meeting in Las Vegas in June, fueling speculation that the NHL might announce at that time that Las Vegas will be getting a big-league team led by prospective owner Bill Foley.

The NHL is also staging its annual awards show in Las Vegas during the same league visit.

On Tuesday night, Foley declined to comment on the NHL plans for Las Vegas, simply saying that he is forging ahead with his campaign to get at least 10,000 season ticket deposits of at least $150.

Foley and his minority partners, the Maloof brothers of Las Vegas, hit the 9,000 ticket deposit mark more than a week ago and are closing in on the 10,000 goal.

On Wednesday, the NHL acknowledged the Board of Governors intends to meet in Las Vegas in June, with the general managers meeting also being held in Las Vegas for a “one-stop shopping” approach to handling topics.

But the Board of Governors meeting does not yet have an agenda, so it’s not known whether team owners will take up the issue of awarding a franchise to Foley and the Las Vegas market.

“The meeting comes as we’re in the middle of our busiest period with the end of the playoffs, board meeting, awards, GM meeting and draft — all in an extremely compressed time period,” NHL spokesman Frank Brown said in an email.

“As you know, we are well aware of the expression of interest from Las Vegas. As you also know, there is no expansion process underway. And there is no benefit to jumping to conclusions.”

But fans are hopeful the NHL will have big news for Las Vegas out of the Board of Governors meeting in June.

“As a fan, I think it’s a positive sign. The league has been warming up to Las Vegas since they come here for the awards show, and now Mr. Foley comes along,” Tracy Fellenstein, who has paid for a season ticket deposit, said Wednesday.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have the announcement (that Las Vegas has a team) when the Board of Governors is meeting in Las Vegas?” Fellenstein said.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman visited Las Vegas on Feb. 10 when Foley launched the ticket campaign.

Bettman lauded Foley but made no promises about Las Vegas drawing a franchise.

Foley wants the Las Vegas team to start playing in the 2016-17 season at the $375 million arena being built by MGM Resorts International and Anschutz Entertainment Group on the Strip.

The arena is scheduled to open in late April 2016, so it would be ready for a hockey season in October 2016.

The arena would have 17,500 seats for hockey.

To have a team playing by the 2016-17 season in Las Vegas would mean that the franchise has to be approved soon because ownership needs time to fill key positions such as a president, general manager and coach while also acquiring players and building a training ice rink facility.

Foley said he already has a salary cap specialist in mind to hire.

Foley appeared at the Born and Raised sports bar in Las Vegas on Tuesday night to update his team bid and answer questions from fans.

Foley, who bought a house in Summerlin last week and is chairman of a Jacksonville, Fla.-based title insurance company, told hockey fans that the league liked that a new arena would be open by 2016 and that NHL team owners liked him as a potential fellow owner.

In the past, Foley has said he would be “shocked” if the 10,000 season ticket deposit goal is reached and Las Vegas does not get a team.

Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Find him on Twitter: @BicycleManSnel