According to Fanatics, the largest online seller of licensed sports goods, the Golden Knights have ranked fourth in N.H.L. merchandise sales this season — and first since the start of 2018.

The fast start by the Golden Knights has, for now, allayed fears that the N.H.L.’s decision to put another team in a desert city would lead to financial trouble. (See: Coyotes, Arizona.) Commissioner Gary Bettman has for years pushed for new teams in the Sun Belt, with mixed success, and aiming for Las Vegas, in particular, seemed like an overreach.

It is the country’s 40th largest television market, best known as a destination for tourists and gamblers, and has a population heavy on retirees and service industry workers, who are unlikely candidates to spend thousands of dollars on season tickets. The city had little hockey tradition; it has hosted minor league teams but has few ice rinks or youth leagues.

But an influx of out-of-town fans has complemented the Golden Knights’ fast start on the ice and at the box office. This is good news for local hotels, restaurants and casinos, which host 43 million visitors a year, and for the team as it gets its bearings in the market.

Other N.H.L. teams in areas that attract transplanted retirees — like the Arizona Coyotes and the Florida Panthers — also tend to have strong crowds supporting the opposition. The Golden Knights, though, appear to have specifically designed their game nights like most things in their city: as tourist attractions.

While hockey is certainly the central focus of game nights, the Knights have added a medieval motif, sometimes comically. The Zambonis that drive on the ice have jousts mounted on their sides to simulate a duel. The arena includes a 24-foot knight’s helmet and three castle structures, including one for cheerleaders with pompoms. Catapults are used to launch T-shirts into the crowd.

“We wanted to focus on Vegas as the entertainment capital of the world,” Bubolz said.

The Golden Knights’ success, camp and all, is an encouraging sign for the N.F.L., which last year approved the Raiders’ plan to relocate to Nevada. (The San Antonio Stars of the W.N.B.A. moved to Las Vegas in the off-season, and will begin play as the Las Vegas Aces in May.)