The NHL is ready to indulge that by exploring the process, looking more closely at both Austin and Houston, and the possibility of an NHL franchise in Austin seems strong. Austin is a Texas city with a huge population and one major league sports team in Austin FC of the MLS. They've been the home of the Texas Stars, Dallas' AHL team, since 2009. It's also home to the University of Texas Longhorns, which is huge in an entirely different way, especially in football. But for a city as big as Austin (population just over a million) and with none of the Big Four sports in place, adding the NHL offers the league an opportunity to get in on the ground floor in a city that will go big for it.