Potential OHL Expansion Locations

[N Da No]

Not mention yet, Youngstown, OH and/or Johnstown, PA as potential sites for relocation of the Flint Firebirds franchise under new ownership.

 

[Captain Crash]

Not mention yet, Youngstown, OH and/or Johnstown, PA as potential sites for relocation of the Flint Firebirds franchise under new ownership.

Youngstown has a great arena and the location in Ohio would be a nice expansion of the OHL's territory without straining the overall footprint. Unfortunately, Youngstown just cannot draw enough in attendance for an OHL franchise to stay afloat. They currently have the USHL's Phantoms and really struggle to get people in the seats; so far this season they are averaging less than 900 fans per game at home in a league where the quality of play is just about on par with the OHL. And that's just after nearly winning the championship last season. Can't imagine switching to a comparable league changes that trend, so the OHL just could not survive there.

Johnstown is a more interesting possibility, but still unlikely. The classic War Memorial is old but probably just updated enough to pass the OHL standards (partly thanks to that sweet, sweet Hockeyville funding). It's a traditional hockey market, of course, and the switch from minor league in the ECHL to juniors in the NAHL has not really affected attendance-- the current Tomahawks average just about what the old Chiefs averaged. But is that enough? At usually just over 2,000 fans, the average attendance would be last in the current OHL. And although the quality of hockey would improve significantly, it seems unlikely that would translate to more butts in the seats. Given that the pro team averaged about the same as the junior team, it just seems as though this is Johnstown's peak. Now, if they were located in southern Ontario, or heck, even somewhere in western New York, they might be able to scrape by with those numbers. But given the added distance from the rest of the league, it's unlikely an OHL team could last very long there.

 

[MasterMatt25]

Any chance they put a team in downtown Toronto?

 

[Otto]

Any chance they put a team in downtown Toronto?

No

 

[AttackSound]

Any chance they put a team in downtown Toronto?

No chance there will be ever be any other team downtown Toronto in the current state of the OHL.

When the league first started out and the NHL was running junior teams for prospects to play and there was strong ties between the Leafs and the OHA maybe.

Since then there has been several teams in and around the GTA including

Toronto Marlboros - OHA
Toronto St, Michael's Majors - OHL

With the majority of the sports fans in the GTA gravitating towards the Leafs it continues to make a challenge for the OHL to attract fans to follow junior hockey.

In recent years I've talked to media down in the GTA and there's definitely some interest in having an OHL club in the region and having a team in Mississauga currently however helps but the hard sell is getting the local populace to buy a ticket for junior hockey.

I would encourage any fan that wants to see quality hockey to drive to Paramount Fine Foods Centre on Rose Cherry Place catch a Steelheads game on any Friday or Sunday when they play it's a great arena to see a game.

 

[AttackSound]

Not to also discount that from Toronto to Mississauga is only a half hour drive west of the heart of the GTA

 

[AK87]

I think there needs to be more teams East, EG Cornwall or even Brockville

 

[Hammer9001]

Any chance they put a team in downtown Toronto?

No chance at all, apart from the failure of two Toronto Jr. Hockey teams, and the fact the nearby Steelheads struggle to draw, the AHL Toronto Marlies also fill the niche of hockey for fans who can't play the ludicrous prices of the Leafs.

 

[EvenSteven]

Not to also discount that from Toronto to Mississauga is only a half hour drive west of the heart of the GTA

Oh really? More than one game between St Mikes and Missy IceDogs was delayed because the visiting team's bus was stuck in traffic. That half hour drive can turn into 2+ hours.

More often than not, Missy would likely get to Guelph or even Kitchener quicker than to the old St Mikes barn.

 

[Tarantula]

Oh really? More than one game between St Mikes and Missy IceDogs was delayed because the visiting team's bus was stuck in traffic. That half hour drive can turn into 2+ hours.

More often than not, Missy would likely get to Guelph or even Kitchener quicker than to the old St Mikes barn.

So bleeping true, I have often had a 16km drive home take well over a hour.

 

[OSA]

Not sure why anyone would ever choose the ECHL over the OHL if given the choice between the 2.

 

[Tarantula]

Not sure why anyone would ever choose the ECHL over the OHL if given the choice between the 2.

Different strokes for different folks as they say, but I am in your camp here. I get it that the ECHL is pro and there will be many a OHLer who won't make it that far but you do see some great players in the O who will bypass the E completely. Sure the O is a developmental league, but each team is their own master, no parent club taking your best players as the year progresses.

We talk about drafting, building a team in the O, the model in the E is completely different, based on affiliation. Feel the same about the AHL as well, not for me.

 

[Otto]

Not to also discount that from Toronto to Mississauga is only a half hour drive west of the heart of the GTA

LOL... only if they re playing at 2am

 

[EvenSteven]

Different strokes for different folks as they say, but I am in your camp here. I get it that the ECHL is pro and there will be many a OHLer who won't make it that far but you do see some great players in the O who will bypass the E completely. Sure the O is a developmental league, but each team is their own master, no parent club taking your best players as the year progresses.

We talk about drafting, building a team in the O, the model in the E is completely different, based on affiliation. Feel the same about the AHL as well, not for me.

The issue I have with OHL versus AHL is that in the OHL once your roster is set and your players are sent back from the Pro's etc., you have a roster of 23 or 24 players and outside the odd trade, WJC commitments or injury, these are the players you're going to see every night.

On the other hand, in the AHL, you can go to any given game and there's no guarantee you'll see the star players. You buy a program and they'll have a roster of 35 to 40 players listed for each team. You may have about a dozen or so players you're pretty much guaranteed to see every time. Then you have the handful that are up-and-down between the AHL team and the parent NHL club. Further, there are a few more players that are up-and-down between the AHL club and the East Coast league club.

So from a fan's perspective, it's hard to get attached to players on AHL or even ECHL rosters - especially the high-end players who are hit and miss as to whether they'll be even on the ice on any given night. On the other hand, it's easy to get attached to players on an OHL roster because you know that the star players will be playing there every night barring injury or world Junior championships or the like.

 

[Tarantula]

Good post above, noticed that while hunting around for former O players, that the roster is HUGE. I like following a team and knowing the usual line combos etc. following team growth.

On the other hand one could say it is men against boys. Bottom line is how you want to spend your pesos.

 

[Hammer9001]

The issue I have with OHL versus AHL is that in the OHL once your roster is set and your players are sent back from the Pro's etc., you have a roster of 23 or 24 players and outside the odd trade, WJC commitments or injury, these are the players you're going to see every night.

On the other hand, in the AHL, you can go to any given game and there's no guarantee you'll see the star players. You buy a program and they'll have a roster of 35 to 40 players listed for each team. You may have about a dozen or so players you're pretty much guaranteed to see every time. Then you have the handful that are up-and-down between the AHL team and the parent NHL club. Further, there are a few more players that are up-and-down between the AHL club and the East Coast league club.

So from a fan's perspective, it's hard to get attached to players on AHL or even ECHL rosters - especially the high-end players who are hit and miss as to whether they'll be even on the ice on any given night. On the other hand, it's easy to get attached to players on an OHL roster because you know that the star players will be playing there every night barring injury or world Junior championships or the like.

I'd add to this that the one advantage AHL teams do have is if you follow the respective affiliated NHL team, as then you can see players graduate to the big league. This is why I'm a firm believer that an AHL franchise should be a few hours away from the NHL franchise, as not only do you have the ability to call up players fast, but it makes it a bit more viable for fans who due to distance or cost can't see the NHL team.

However as far as ECHL teams over OHL teams, yeah, I can't really understand that.