Ohl team in thunder bay

[EvenSteven]

Thunder Bay better suited for WHL team .

You’ll never see that though for the same reason you won’t see Cornwall back in the Q.

The OHL won’t want to lose the players out of those regions to the other leagues. So they’ll state that Thunder Bay is a future possible franchise landing spot as they’ve said regarding Cornwall in the past thus blocking the Q out of Cornwall.

 

[Otto]

Thunder Bay better suited for WHL team .

I don't think that's true. Takes just as long to get to The Soo as it does to Winnipeg from Thunder Bay. Sudbury/Brandon isn't that much different... after that the OHL cities are closer.

Bottom line it makes zero financial sense for Thunder Bay to have a team in any league.

 

[Buttsy]

Th

Bottom line it makes zero financial sense for Thunder Bay to have a team in any league.

Have to agree unless T Bay could find an owner with awfully deep pockets to subsidize the visiting teams travel expenses? And the fanbase would have to be unreal even then to make something like that work. Zero financial sense maybe even sugar coating it a bit.

 

[HockeyPops]

If you are in Thunder Bay, you already expect to have to travel. If their midget and Bantam teams can play all their games in Toronto, you don't think they could make a major junior team work?

Trio of Thunder Bay Kings Teams to Join Greater Toronto Hockey League – GTHL

 

[Tarantula]

If you are in Thunder Bay, you already expect to have to travel. If their midget and Bantam teams can play all their games in Toronto, you don't think they could make a major junior team work?

Trio of Thunder Bay Kings Teams to Join Greater Toronto Hockey League – GTHL

Having teams made up with native Thunder Bay kids at those levels is very different then getting top end OHL prospects to report to TB.

 

[rangersblues]

Having teams made up with native Thunder Bay kids at those levels is very different then getting top end OHL prospects to report to TB.

The OHL is a development league which means it needs to be scouted. A Thunder Bay team would not generally be heavily scouted unless on the road.

 

[AttackSound]

Why not a team in Whitby… or if that’s too close to Oshawa, why not fricken Newmarket???

Generals would have to approve it first and likely wouldn't fly for a team in Whitby.

Newmarket had a small stint they played 2 seasons in the OHL in the early 90's, and since moved on to end up in Sarnia. As for Newmarket I would think that Barrie and Mississauaga would be the ones to squash the idea being on the edges of each of their fanbases.

As for Chatham being kicked around I think one if not both Sarnia and Windsor would have similar issues as Barrie and Mississauaga would with Newmarket.

Relocation is really the only option the OHL has and expansion would have to be even up 2 additional places on the map at least one in each conference to make it fly.

There's really only 3 or 4 places on the map they league hasn't tried in awhile or not at all that could realistically fly.

Cornwall, ON since they originally ended up in Sarnia would be one.

Other considerations would be (Listed Below)

Syracuse, NY
Rochester, NY
Cleveland, OH

Since those 3 places I still believe have AHL teams I would say the only place left to for the OHL is Cornwall, and I doubt the OHL would go down that path again every so many seasons we hear that places like Mississauaga have a tough go trying to sell the OHL to citizens and how fans are puzzled by Owen Sound surviving being the smallest market to not have a 4 lane highway near it.

So to close off this posting no team realistically would end up anywhere else on the map including Thunder Bay.

The OHL will likely stay the way it is for the foreseeable future.

 

[Devin]

Generals would have to approve it first and likely wouldn't fly for a team in Whitby.

Newmarket had a small stint they played 2 seasons in the OHL in the early 90's, and since moved on to end up in Sarnia. As for Newmarket I would think that Barrie and Mississauaga would be the ones to squash the idea being on the edges of each of their fanbases.

As for Chatham being kicked around I think one if not both Sarnia and Windsor would have similar issues as Barrie and Mississauaga would with Newmarket.

Relocation is really the only option the OHL has and expansion would have to be even up 2 additional places on the map at least one in each conference to make it fly.

There's really only 3 or 4 places on the map they league hasn't tried in awhile or not at all that could realistically fly.

Cornwall, ON since they originally ended up in Sarnia would be one.

Other considerations would be (Listed Below)

Syracuse, NY
Rochester, NY
Cleveland, OH

Since those 3 places I still believe have AHL teams I would say the only place left to for the OHL is Cornwall, and I doubt the OHL would go down that path again every so many seasons we hear that places like Mississauaga have a tough go trying to sell the OHL to citizens and how fans are puzzled by Owen Sound surviving being the smallest market to not have a 4 lane highway near it.

So to close off this posting no team realistically would end up anywhere else on the map including Thunder Bay.

The OHL will likely stay the way it is for the foreseeable future.

Or 19 teams.. I think I counted about 20 ppl at the steelheads game and 15 were probably fans on the road!