The OHL announced Thursday morning the official relocation of the Mississauga Steelheads moving them into Brampton.
The OHL announced Thursday morning the official relocation of the Mississauga Steelheads moving them into Brampton.
After it was announced at the beginning of the new year, the deal has been made official, and the Mississauga Steelheads franchise will be relocated to Brampton to start the 2024-25 season
Resident fans in Mississauga won’t have to travel too far with the team playing their home games out of the CAA Centre, only around a 20-minute drive from Mississauga. Depending on Toronto traffic of course.
“We are thrilled about the next chapter in Steelheads hockey. We will be proud to bring our Championship hockey to our new home and even more proud to do so as the Brampton Steelheads,’ said in a statement courtesy of the Ontario Hockey League by Brampton’s ownership.
Steelheads owner Elliott Kerr told The Hockey News back in February that the team's poor attendance numbers was probably the No. 1 reason for the move.
The city of Brampton last held an OHL team — The Brampton Battalion — from 1998-2013, with their best season coming in 2008-09 where they recorded 47 wins in the regular season and lost in the OHL Finals.
The Battalion's relocated up north to North Bay beginning in the 2013-14 season.
That 2008-09 team featured a couple of current NHL players in Dallas Stars Matt Duchene and Edmonton Oilers’ Sam Carrick, who both recently faced each other in the NHL’s Western Conference Finals.
Also, a fun fact, the organization only missed the playoffs twice in their 15 years.
The Brampton Battalion finished their last season in 2012-13 with a record of 34-25-3-6. They were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Sudbury Wolves in five games, but that team featured a couple of Stanley Cup Champions — Michael Amadio with Vegas, and Barclay Goodrow with Tampa Bay.
The future certainly looks bright in Brampton when you look at the roster they are inheriting. Led by top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft Porter Martone, they may also have the best goaltending tandem going into next season in Ryerson Leenders and Jack Ivankovic.
The Brampton Steelheads home opener is on Sep. 27 against the Brantford Bulldogs.