League Set to Reveal a New Hockey Team in the Toronto Area with an Official Announcement Expected Soon

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Daniel Lucente
October 11, 2024 (1:38 PM)

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The AHL might be returning to the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as a post on Instagram revealed the latest developments.

A report from Puck Empire on Instagram indicated that the AHL could be returning to Hamilton, Ontario. The possible return of AHL hockey to the city comes amid major changes within the sports landscape of the city and with continued renovations to the city's major arena, FirstOntario Centre.

According to the report, Oak View Group, which fronted the $280 million renovation of the FirstOntario Centre, has been speaking with the AHL about relocating a team back to Hamilton. Tom Pistore, president of Oak View Group Canada, estimated an official announcement could come as early as next year for renovations that would be complete by Fall 2025. This might be the latest in what has become a game of musical chairs for Hamilton sports teams, with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs moving to Brantford and the CEBL's Hamilton Honey Badgers heading to Brampton.

FirstOntario Centre opened in 1985 as Copps Coliseum, undergoing a floor-to-ceiling renovation. Oak View Group is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Tim Leiweke, the former executive with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment. Leading projects such as AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds and NHL's Seattle Kraken, Leiweke does have a reputation for developing high-profile arenas, only further fortifying his ambition for Hamilton's reemergence as a staple hockey market.

When the Cape Breton Oilers relocated to Hamilton in 1996, that began the rich AHL history the team has compiled. The team spent its first seven seasons as the AHL affiliate for the Edmonton Oilers, then spent from 2002 to 2015 as the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. In their time in the AHL, Hamilton won the 2007 Calder Cup, a championship that boasted future NHL'ers Carey Price and Mikhail Grabovski. Hamilton has been a hockey town forever, and the probable return of an AHL team would restore that tradition.

If these plans come to fruition, Hamilton will regain its status as one of the more visible AHL markets and fill a huge void left in the wake of its teams' departures, putting back together a vital piece of the city's sports culture. With the major investment of the Oak View Group and a revitalized FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton might just find itself back in the middle of minor league hockey once again, adding to its storied history of fostering new generations of hockey talent.