The OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads are likely playing their final season in the Toronto suburb. The team’s ownership is “in the process of conducting the necessary due diligence” to move the franchise to Brampton beginning with the 2024-25 season, a media release states Wednesday.
Brampton last hosted OHL hockey in the 2012-13 season, after which the Battalion franchise relocated to North Bay, Ontario. Professionally, the Brampton Beast also played in the CHL for the 2013-14 campaign and in the ECHL from 2014 to 2020.
The Steelheads franchise began play in the 1997-98 season as the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors, moving to the suburbs after 10 years in downtown Toronto. The team rebranded as the Steelheads in 2012 after being purchased from former Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.
Only four miles separates the current home of the Steelheads and the presumptive home of the team in Brampton, the Powerade Center, which the Battalion last played in prior to relocation. The Steelheads only boast one NHL-affiliated prospect at the moment, Stars 2023 sixth-round pick Angus MacDonell. Notable NHLers to suit up for the Steelheads in the past decade include Stars players Thomas Harley and Mason Marchment, Oilers center Ryan McLeod, and Flyers winger Owen Tippett.
Some other items of note from around the hockey sphere:
- Sticking with relocation/expansion talk, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports the proposed area development in Forsyth County outside of Atlanta is nearing government approval. Previous reports have indicated county funding for the project is contingent on NHL expansion intent. One week ago, Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group also requested the initiation of a formal expansion process by the league.
- Maple Leafs defenseman John Klingberg intends to resume his NHL career after recovering from season-ending hip surgery, TSN’s Chris Johnston said Tuesday. The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $4.15MM contract with Toronto in free agency but played only 14 games before being shut down for the remainder of the season. Johnston reports the specific procedure that Klingberg underwent is similar to the surgery Red Wings forward Patrick Kane had last summer, which carried a hefty recovery timeframe but did not impact his ability to return to NHL play. It’s unclear if Toronto will have interest in retaining Klingberg at a reduced price next summer should he be able to continue playing.
Third time’s a charm in Atlanta I guess?
3 strikes and they’re out…forever, i hope.
Houston should get a team…. not Atlanta
The Atlanta Thricers.
Klingberg should not kling to the Leafs unless he wants a $1M x 1 contract.
Many comment on how the league will get diluted by adding teams. I go back to the 6 team nhl and I remember even then each team had 2 or 3 spots taken by goons who could barely skate. Not saying expansion doesn’t thin out the talent pool, but what it does do is create interest in the game in areas where it didn’t exist before. Now we are seeing really good talent coming out of California and Arizona, soon it will also come out of Nevada and Washington. This helps balance the talent pool eventually. That being said Atlanta has had 2 shots, time to give some other area a chance.
Anyone who watched those two borefest games last night knows adding even more teams is the worst idea possible. Especially to places where it failed already!
Agree with the last sentence but the Blues won a Cup recently and the Sharks were one of the best teams in the league from 1999-2019. Seattle’s a competitive team too.
I don’t think expansion is to blame for the normal competitive cycles that all teams eventually go through.
Once the Coyotes relocate, Atlanta, Houston and Salt Lake City will eventually all have NHL teams. 2 by expansion and 1 by relocation.
I’m from Atlanta.. those dorks don’t know squat about hockey. Prove me wrong, “Atlanta”! Ha. Though, for real, if the real Atlanta got a hockey team that would be amazing. Cobb county and North Fulton, keep dreaming!
Savannah Thrashers