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Best Seats at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul
Minnesota calls itself the State of Hockey, and this is the building that backs up the claim. Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul — Xcel Energy Center until September 2025, and still “the X” to most locals — hangs a jersey from every high school hockey program in Minnesota along its concourses, blasts a foghorn from a lighthouse in the corner every time the Wild score, and wraps 18k seats so tightly around the ice that the upper deck still feels like part of the game. It’s home to the Wild and the two-time Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost, it hosts the state high school hockey tournament every March, and it books more event nights than any venue in the state.
The honest reality is that it’s a 2000-era building the city itself says is overdue for a major update, and downtown St. Paul goes quiet fast on nights without an event. But on a January Saturday with the Wild in town and the foghorn going, few rinks in hockey feel more like home to the people in them. Here’s how to pick your seat.
Seating Overview
The bowl has three seating rings: the 100 level (sections 101–126), the RBC Wealth Management Club Level (C1–C40, seven rows each), and the 200 level (201–230), with the suite level tucked between the 100s and the club. For hockey, both benches share the sideline in front of sections 116–117 (Wild at 117), and the penalty boxes sit across at 103–104. The Wild shoot twice at the 109–111 end in the first and third periods; visitors attack twice at 122–124. Because the building is compact and pulled in close to the ice, the angle you watch from matters more than the distance.
Best Non-Premium Seats
Sections 102–105, rows 8–20. This is the penalty-box sideline, so you look straight across at both benches and every line change. Eight rows up gets you above most of the glass distortion that bends the view near the boards. It prices like the best non-premium seat in the building because it is.
Sections 115–118, row 12 and up. The bench side puts you right behind the Wild. In the lowest rows, standing players and the bench glass cut off the near boards, so climb a dozen rows before you buy. The tradeoff is a slightly worse look at near-side play than you get from across the ice.
Sections 109–111, row 15 and up. The Wild come at you for two of three periods, and upper rows here see over the netting to the far end.
Best Value Seats
Lower corners 107–108 and 112–113. These flank the Wild’s attack-twice end, giving you a diagonal look at the power play for noticeably less than the sidelines. The second period, when the action is at the far end, is the price you pay.
Front rows of the center-ice 200s. Both upper sidelines sit close to the rink by NHL standards, and the first few rows see the whole sheet from a height that makes plays easy to read. You give up the sound and speed you feel down low.
Budget / Cheapest Way In
The 200-level ends and corners. These are the lowest-priced Wild tickets in the building, and the ends above the 109–111 side still get the Wild coming toward you twice. You’re a long way from the far net, so this is the seat to buy for atmosphere, not detail.
A Minnesota Frost game. The PWHL champions play in the same bowl at prices well below a Wild game, and the crowds are big — the Frost’s first home game in 2024 drew 13,316, then a record for professional women’s hockey. Students should also check the Wild’s College Rush program for discounted seats.
Our Pick
Sections 102–105, rows 10–20, for a Wild game. You face both benches, see both ends clean, and sit low enough to hear the hits and high enough to see the plays.
What to Avoid (and What’s Worth Trying Once)
Low rows behind either net (109–111 and 122–124, rows 2–10). Every view runs through the protective netting and the far end of the ice looks miles away. Skip them unless you’re specifically there to watch one goalie.
Worth it once: the state high school hockey tournament. Every late winter the girls’ and boys’ tournaments take over the building, and the crowds rival Wild playoff games — a 2015 boys’ semifinal session drew 21,609, a state record for an indoor hockey crowd. Sightlines are the same as a Wild game, but the school bands, student sections and small-town hometown crowds are the purest version of what “State of Hockey” means.
Best Seats for Concerts at Grand Casino Arena
Most tours put the stage at one end, which kills the seats behind it and turns the nearest side sections into steep angles. Layouts change by tour, so check the chart for your show.
Floor Seats and General Admission
GA floor ticket holders enter at Gate 1, the southeast doors on Kellogg Boulevard, through dedicated lines. The floor is flat, so beyond the first ten or so rows, a low seat in a side section often sees more.
Best Lower-Level and Club Concert Seats
Lower sideline sections two or three off the stage end. These give a close, elevated side view without the extreme angle of the sections right beside the stage.
Club sections just off center, around C5 and C27. These hold a better-than-expected angle for end-stage shows, with the club concourse behind you. The Bud Light Top Shelf loge boxes get the head-on view.
Upper-Level Concert Seats (and What to Skip)
The 200s directly across from the stage are the cheapest way to see the whole light show head-on. Skip the upper sections beside or behind the stage end; the angle gets severe and rigging and speakers can block the view.
Premium Seating & Clubs at Grand Casino Arena
The premium lineup runs from glass seats with an all-inclusive lounge to the club ring, loge boxes and a full suite level, most of it sold to members first.
The Best Premium Experience
On-the-Glass seats. These are the first row of the 100 level, with fewer than 200 seats around the boards, and they include all-inclusive food, beer and wine in the private On-the-Glass Club. Holders enter through Gate 5, which opens 90 minutes before puck drop. Most are held by full- and half-season members.
Best Value Premium
The RBC Wealth Management Club Level. This is the premium buy that makes the most sense for most people. The seven-row club ring sits just above the suites, so the elevation shows you the whole ice without the glass in the way, and center-ice sections C6 and C26 are among the best hockey views in the building. You get a private concourse, private restrooms, shorter lines, and the best local food stands in the arena. Food isn’t included, but the club serves free coffee during the third period of Wild games. Single-game club seats go on sale for most games, so price them against the lower bowl before you buy.
Other Premium Options
Elite Seats are four seats between the two benches with all-inclusive food and drink and valet parking.
Bud Light Top Shelf loge boxes are member-only boxes with an all-inclusive Levy buffet, a private lounge and reserved covered parking.
Flynt & Kyndle is the sit-down restaurant on the club level, open two hours before Wild games, with table-side rotating menus; reserve through Tock.
The 1834 Club is the bar and lounge for Old National Bank Suite Level ticket holders.
Suites & Group Options
The Old National Bank Suite Level rings the arena between the lower bowl and the club, with suites holding roughly 12 to 18 guests, Levy catering and early access to the 1834 Club. Annual leases dominate, but single-game Wild and concert suites are sold through wildsuites.com.
Grand Casino Arena Seating Map & Capacity
Grand Casino Arena holds 17,954 people for a Wild game. Concert capacity swings with the stage, and a center-stage show can top 20,000 — Shania Twain’s 20,554 in 2003 is still the arena record. For perspective, Montreal’s Bell Centre, the NHL’s largest arena, seats just over 21,000.
The arena has five gates. Gate 1, at the southeast corner on Kellogg Boulevard, is the main lobby with the box office and Hockey Lodge; Gate 4 is the northeast corner on 5th Street; and Gate 5 is an internal premium entrance reached through the Gate 1 lobby.
Check the arena’sofficial seating chart page as well as a printable/saveable seating chart
Getting the Best Tickets
SeatGeek is now the official ticketing partner for the Wild and every Grand Casino Arena event, replacing Ticketmaster in July 2026. Tickets live in the Minnesota Wild app or the SeatGeek app, and the barcode rotates, so screenshots won’t scan. Weeknight games against non-rivals are where the deals are. Games against Dallas carry extra weight because of the North Stars history, and Winnipeg and Chicago fans travel well, so those dates sell faster. The box office opens four hours before each event if you’d rather buy in person.
Upcoming Events at Grand Casino Arena
The Wild play October through April, the Frost run through winter into spring, and the state high school hockey, volleyball and wrestling tournaments all land here, along with college hockey’s NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Major League Volleyball’s Minnesota Forge is the next tenant, and concerts run year-round. See the full schedule on the Grand Casino Arena events page.
Compare Minnesota Wild and Grand Casino Arena concert tickets on Vivid Seats.
Grand Casino Arena Bag Policy
Purses up to 12″ x 12″ x 6″ are allowed, but only through the designated X-ray entrances, and that size limit applies to clear bags too — there’s no clear-bag exemption here. A wristlet, clutch or wallet up to 4″ x 6″ x 1.5″ gets through any entrance. Backpacks, coolers and large totes are prohibited, and there’s no bag check. Medical and parenting bags are allowed after X-ray screening. Some family shows run a stricter no-bag rule, so check your event page.
Key Venue Policies
Cashless everywhere. Concessions, retail, the box office and even the arena’s parking ramps take card or mobile pay only.
No re-entry. Once you leave the building, you need an unused ticket to get back in.
Doors open 75 minutes before Wild games and usually an hour before other events. Gate 5, for suite, club, loge and glass holders, opens at 90 minutes.
Alcohol sales end during the third period of Wild games and no later than an hour before the scheduled end of concerts.
Accessibility: the recommended accessible entrance is the Rice Park entrance along Washington, behind the Herb Brooks statue, and Guest Services handles wheelchair escorts, ASL requests and sensory kits.
Grand Casino Arena Phone Number
For phone numbers and assistance: Guest Services: 651-726-8200 (guestservices@wild.com). During an event, text 651-800-9453 with a question or problem and the guest experience team responds. Ticket problems go to SeatGeek fan support at 833-691-3400. Lost and found is 651-264-4880.
Getting to Grand Casino Arena
If you’re staying downtown, walk. Otherwise, parking in a skyway-connected ramp is the easiest way in, especially in winter, and the Green Line works well from Minneapolis.
Grand Casino Arena Parking
The two official ramps, RiverCentre and Kellogg, connect directly to the arena complex and sell event parking first-come, first-served — neither can be booked in advance. RiverCentre uses license plate readers, so there’s no ticket; you pay by app, QR code or pay station before you leave, and it’s card only. Expect a slow exit from both after a sellout, and check the arena’s construction page before you drive, since work on Kellogg Boulevard has changed which directions you can enter and exit the ramps.
The better move is a skyway ramp a few blocks east. Downtown St. Paul’s five miles of enclosed skyways connect to the arena through RiverCentre, so you can park several blocks away, walk to your seat without going outside, and leave on streets that aren’t jammed with arena traffic. Some of them can also be reserved ahead on parking apps.
Public Transit
Take the METRO Green Line to Central Station or 10th Street Station. Central Station has skyway access through the tower at the station, so you can make most of the walk indoors. Buy an All-Day Pass, which covers the return trip and runs until 2 a.m. After the final horn, get to the platform quickly; westbound trains fill up with fans heading back to Minneapolis. Route 54 also runs up West 7th from the airport and Mall of America.
Rideshare
The official pickup and drop-off zone is Gate 4, on the northeast corner of the arena on 5th Street, near section 120. Surge pricing hits right after the game, so walk a few blocks toward downtown before requesting a ride. A taxi stand sits on Kellogg Boulevard on the arena’s south side.
Grand Casino Arena Insider Tips
A Wild game here starts on West 7th Street a couple of hours before puck drop. Arrive early, eat cheap before the anthem, and look up at the corners.
Is Grand Casino Arena the Same as Xcel Energy Center?
Yes — same building, new name. Xcel Energy’s 25-year naming deal ended, and the arena became Grand Casino Arena on September 3, 2025, under a 14-year deal with Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley, owned by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The building is owned by the City of Saint Paul and run by the Wild’s parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment. Plenty of locals still call it the X.
The State of Hockey on the Walls
Find your hometown jersey. Every Minnesota high school hockey team’s jersey hangs along the concourses, and the arena’s online high school jersey locator tells you exactly where to find yours. It’s the best photo in the building for anyone from Minnesota.
Look up at the four corners. Each corner has a crow’s nest: one holds the organist, one the DJ, one an extra stage, and one a lighthouse with a foghorn that sounds when the Wild take the ice, after every Wild and Frost goal, and after wins. It’s a nod to the lighthouses of Lake Superior’s North Shore.
Arrival Strategy
Get in during the $6 Happy Hour. From the moment gates open until 30 minutes before puck drop, 16-ounce drafts, rail cocktails, soda, hot dogs, brats and pretzels with cheese are $6 wherever they’re sold. It’s the single best reason to walk in at doors instead of warmups.
Use Gate 4 if you’re eating at the Taphouse. The Michelob Golden Light Taphouse at section 120 opens its gate 90 minutes before Wild games, 15 minutes ahead of the general doors. Book a table on Tock.
Add your tickets to your phone’s wallet before you leave home. It skips the Wi-Fi and signal scramble at the gate.
Best Food at Grand Casino Arena
On the main concourse, go local. Market House Meats (section 110), Sheboygan Sausage Haus (103 and 116), J&R’s Dough Shop (109 and 222) and Papa Pete’s Mini Donuts (126 and 207) beat the generic stands.
Know that the best local food is on the club level. Wrecktangle Pizza (C28), Pajarito (C22), St. Paul Pierogi (C36) and St. Paul Sausage (C23) are club-only. If you’re in the 100s or 200s, eat on West 7th before the game.
Check the special-diet menu if you need it. Gluten-free and vegan options are sold around the building, and the arena publishes a dietary-restrictions menu on its dining page.
Skip the line at Wild Market. The grab-and-go store near section 113 uses Amazon’s Just Walk Out tech — tap your card or palm, take what you want, leave. Show ID to an attendant for beer.
Bring an empty plastic bottle. Reusable plastic bottles up to 32 ounces are allowed if empty; metal and glass are not.
Wild Game Traditions
Listen for “Let’s Play Hockey!” right before puck drop. A local youth player makes the call over the PA to start every Wild home game.
Know that the ice comes partly from fans. Through the Wild’s “This Is Our Ice” tradition, fans bring water from their home rinks, ponds and lakes to be filtered and frozen into the sheet.
Families & Kids
Grab a Tag-a-Kid wristband. Guest Services desks at sections 105, C9 and 207 will put your seat location on a wristband for young kids, the fastest way to reunite if you get separated.
Pick up free earplugs at section 105. That Guest Services desk also lends ear muffs, sensory kits from the Autism Society of Minnesota and booster seats, first come, first served.
Kids under 2 are free on an adult’s lap at most events. Bring a stroller that folds under a seat; strollers left at Guest Services may go unattended.
Autographs & Player Access
Go to a free open practice. The Wild practice at TRIA Rink, on the fifth floor of Treasure Island Center a few blocks away, and many sessions are free if you reserve through My Wild Account. Autographs aren’t allowed unless the team says otherwise.
Venue Quirks
Charge your phone in the Grand Casino Cove. Near section 124, it has wireless charging pads for more than 50 phones, and chargeFUZE rental kiosks sit at sections 107, C9 and 206.
Leave the gifts unwrapped and the knitting at home. Both are on the prohibited list, along with laptops. Tablets are allowed at Wild games only, and cameras with a detachable lens or anything longer than 3.5 inches are banned.
Head to section 107 to go upstairs. Those escalators are the route from the 100 level to the club and 200 levels; elevators serve every floor.
Grand Casino Arena vs. Target Center
The Timberwolves don’t play here. The Wolves and the WNBA’s Lynx play at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, about 10 miles west. The Green Line connects the two downtowns, but budget close to an hour door to door, and don’t book a St. Paul hotel for a Wolves game.
Is Grand Casino Arena Being Renovated?
A full renovation is planned but not funded yet. In March 2026, St. Paul and the Wild announced “Capital City Live,” a $600 million plan for the arena complex, with $450 million earmarked for the arena itself. The state didn’t approve the full $200 million request in the 2026 session; its bonding bill sent $50 million to the complex, including $10 million to design the arena renovation. Work is expected to happen in summers, around the hockey season, with much of it on the Fifth Street side.
Hotels Near Grand Casino Arena
Downtown St. Paul is small enough that nearly every hotel is walkable to the arena. Rooms fill up during the March state hockey tournaments and big concert weekends, so book early.
Best Areas to Stay
The West 7th blocks by the arena put you across the street from your seat and in the middle of the pregame bars. Rice Park and the downtown core, a five-minute walk east, is the most atmospheric part of the city and connected by skyway. Lowertown, about a mile east near CHS Field and the Green Line’s Union Depot station, is quieter with a strong restaurant scene. Staying in Minneapolis only makes sense if the rest of your trip is there.
Hotel Recommendations
The Saint Paul Hotel is the splurge. The 1910 landmark overlooks Rice Park, a short walk from the arena, and it’s the grand old downtown hotel with the service to match. Rooms are elegant, if a bit dated.
Courtyard by Marriott St. Paul Downtown is the closest. It sits directly across the street from the arena, with standout staff and a walk to your seat measured in seconds. Parking is mandatory valet, and standard rooms run small.
Holiday Inn St. Paul Downtown is the gameday hotel. Across the street on West 7th, it has a pool and Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon attached, which makes it the pregame and postgame headquarters for a lot of fans. That also makes it loud after the final horn.
Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown is the comfortable middle, on West 7th with free breakfast and clean, newer rooms. Parking is valet-only and extra.
Residence Inn St. Paul Downtown is for families and longer stays, with kitchenettes and a shuttle that runs anywhere within two miles.
Budget Options
Roami at The Fitz is an apartment-style stay about a 20-minute walk from the arena, with free breakfast, snacks and laundry. You trade traditional hotel amenities for more space for the money.
Embassy Suites St. Paul Downtown isn’t cheap on paper, but free made-to-order breakfast and a short walk to the Green Line make it good value for families. The property shows its age.
Bars and Restaurants Near Grand Casino Arena
West 7th Street is the pregame strip, running straight to the arena doors with sports bars, an Italian landmark and a food truck hall within a few blocks. A few longtime favorites farther down West 7th are worth the short ride.
Best Pregame & Postgame Bars
Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub is the hockey bar, owned by its namesake, the former North Stars defenseman and longtime Wild radio voice, with his first NHL contract hanging on the wall. It’s packed wall to wall before games.
Patrick McGovern’s Pub is far bigger inside than it looks from the street, with multiple bars and an upstairs that fills up on big nights.
Seventh Street Truck Park is an indoor food truck hall with a garage-door front, connected to New Bohemia next door; it’s open Thursday through Sunday only.
Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon, attached to the Holiday Inn, is the easiest walk to the doors and a solid bet for wings and cold beer.
Burger Moe’s turns tables fast before events and has one of the better patios on the strip.
The bar directly across Kellogg from the arena is the closest, but it has a reputation for fees and slow service on event nights — walk to West 7th instead.
Best Restaurants in the Area
Cossetta is a St. Paul institution on West 7th — Italian market, bakery and cafeteria-style pizza and pasta, open until 9 p.m. daily. Save room for a cannoli.
Mancini’s Char House is the classic Minnesota steakhouse, about a mile down West 7th, with a relish tray, garlic toast and a room that hasn’t changed in decades. Book ahead.
Waldmann Brewery, in a restored 1850s saloon building off West 7th, pours German-style beer with schnitzel, sausage platters and a beer garden.
Mickey’s Diner, the 1937 dining car downtown, is the late-night postgame move on weekends.
Why You Should Go
Some arenas are built for a team; this one was built for a state. The high school jerseys on the walls, the foghorn from the lighthouse, the kid shouting “Let’s Play Hockey!” into a microphone — every piece of it says hockey matters more here than almost anywhere in America. Come in the heart of winter, when the cold outside makes the building feel like the warmest room in Minnesota, and when you walk in, find the jersey of a town you’ve never heard of. It’s hanging there because that town plays hockey too.
Explore all of our arena guides as well as these:
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Written by Brad Richards. Founder of Gameday Guides. This guide includes insights from personal visits as well as updated info from team sources, fan forums, and stadium policies. We aim to help you plan with confidence — enjoy your gameday. If you have any tips, if we missed anything or you have a question, don’t hesitate to shoot us an email.