Flint vs Chatham – Is It Down To Two For The OHL?

With a month of OHL talk behind us, the Plymouth Whalers’ decision of a future destination could be down to two towns.

Chatham-Kent administration stated this week that they have been asked to continue with the information gathering process, and that the OHL team they are in discussions with, has yet to make a decision.

Conversely, ABC 12 in Flint, Michigan stated the new owners of the Perani Arena are also targeting an OHL franchise, despite rumours that Flint was eying a USHL team.

“We have an interest in the Ontario Hockey League,” said IMS (owners of Perani Arena in Flint) owner Costa Papista to ABC 12 in Flint. “We have been talking with the league, it is one of our options and we are looking at it carefully.”

While the USHL is likely also on the Flint group’s radar, it appears they remain one of the cities vying for the Plymouth Whalers OHL franchise.

The ABC 12 report also spoke of the natural rivalry a Flint OHL franchise would create with the Saginaw Spirit. Chatham however, would also have natural rivals being only an hour from Windsor, Sarnia, and London.

Signs continue to point to the fact that the Plymouth Whalers will be on the move. The questions remain, where and when? It would appear, Chatham and Flint are the two leaders in the discussion.