No Action In Hamilton

Back in October, there was noise being made around the city of Hamilton as a possible site for AHL expansion thanks to the renovations being done at FirstOntario Centre. In the linked article I wrote, Oak View Group (OVG) was looking to add main tenant to the currently-being-renovated arena as the updates are slated to be done by the autumn of 2025, and they were focusing on an AHL franchise as that tenant. I had said it was a pipe dream to expect any of the NHL's current AHL affiliations to move to Hamilton any time soon, and the original article by Bret McCormick of Sports Business Journal didn't have anyone from the AHL with comments at that time. It was only a matter of time before someone from the AHL commented on the report, and we got a few comments today from the league.

Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey was at the AHL's annual State of the Union address during the AHL All-Star festivities where AHL President and CEO Scott Howson addressed a number of topics about the league, and one of those topics was AHL hockey in Hamilton. Androckitis' report has yet to be verified and there hasn't been video of Howson's press conference posted anywhere yet, but I will go on the record and say that Androckitis' reporting is usually accurate.

The blocked quotations are directly from Inside AHL Hockey.

"'First of all, they have to get a team to play there. I know that they're probably trying to work on that, but there's nothing imminent that I know of that is going to happen,' Howson began in response to being asked by InsideAHLHockey.com about how those talks have progressed."

Ok, so that's not a good start with FirstOntario Centre scheduled to be re-opened in the autumn. If there were rumblings about a franchise moving to Hamilton, things would definitely be in the works already. With the President and CEO of the league saying there's nothing imminent, I'd say the AHL dream in Hamilton has yet to hit the planning stages, let alone be happening in September.

"'I'm not saying it won't happen. We've been in Hamilton a number of times. The AHL has history in Hamilton,' Howson clairified, adding, 'They do have a newly renovated building coming but as of now, there's nothing going on right now, or nothing that I can tell you that I think it's gonna happen.'"

Howson stated facts in that the AHL does have a history in Hamilton and that they have a newly-renovated building, but the last part of "there's nothing going on right now" should throw cold water on an AHL franchise suddenly playing in Hamilton this fall. There's no one saying that AHL hockey in Hamilton won't happen, but it's simply not on the radar at this time as per the guy who runs the league. That should put any mentions of AHL Hamilton to rest at this time.

With the ECHL's recent wave of expansion and a seeming push to 32 franchises to match every NHL and AHL team with a single ECHL affiliation, this might be OVG's best option for a permanent tenant. Having experienced an ECHL game in Fort Wayne, Hamilton could easily recreate that same buzz around their ECHL team with the right marketing. An affiliation could be struck with Toronto - currently with Cincinnati - or another relatively-near NHL franchise, but an ECHL team in Hamilton could be a lot of fun if done right.

For the record, there was no ECHL All-Star Game scheduled this season, so we never got to hear any sort of "State of the Union" for them nor plans for the future, but with recent teams in Savannah, Tahoe, Greensboro, Iowa, Trois-Rivieres, and Bloomington since 2021, it would appear that the ECHL doesn't mind granting franchises to cities as long as the ownership is stable and well-financed. With the right owner/ownership group in Hamilton, an ECHL franchise could work there very easily due to size of market and location!

Whatever the future holds, it would appear that the AHL isn't close to being a reality for Hamilton next season. I know OVG wanted an AHL affiliate in their building much like the Hamilton Bulldogs were for so many years in the AHL and OHL, but option simply isn't on the table based on Scott Howson's comments. There are other paths to having professional hockey at FirstOntario Centre for the fall, but the lack of movement on the AHL option from the Oak View Group is concerning considering how they want a permanent tenant for their building.

Sorry, Hamilton hockey fans, but AHL isn't happening this year.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!