The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has confirmed it met with officials from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to discuss the potential for a future franchise in the region. In a statement to CTV News, league communications director Josh Sweetland said commissioner Bryan Crawford recently met with the mayor, municipal staff and several councillors to explore whether the community could support an OHL team. “The purpose of the meeting was to explore the viability of an OHL franchise in the region,” Sweetland said, adding discussions included several factors, including the need for a long-term solution in the form of a new arena. Sweetland said Crawford first reached out to Chatham-Kent representatives last year after the municipality expressed interest in the league. According to the OHL, local officials recently followed up with the league seeking more detailed discussions to better understand the feasibility of a potential arena project and the league’s current expansion plans. The league says those types of conversations are increasingly common as it looks at potential growth. “Bryan has met with a dozen communities in the last year,” Sweetland said. “The OHL is actively exploring opportunities to expand the league and has met with representatives from numerous communities both in Ontario and south of the border to better understand the landscape.” From the league’s perspective, Sweetland said Chatham-Kent could be an appealing market. “Chatham-Kent can be a very interesting potential host community for the OHL given its location in southern Ontario with a growing population base,” he said, adding other factors such as corporate support would also need to be evaluated. The next steps typically involve both the league and the municipality conducting further research into the feasibility of a new venue and the potential market for a team. “It is our understanding that Chatham-Kent representatives have taken proactive steps to begin to better understand the viability of a new venue in the region,” Sweetland said. The comments come a couple days after some councillors raised concerns about transparency surrounding the virtual meeting at city hall. During a recent council meeting, several members said they were unaware the discussion had taken place. Sweetland said the league was not involved in determining which municipal representatives attended. “The league is not aware of who was or wasn’t invited from the municipal side of the conversation,” he said. “But the mayor, city staff and numerous councillors were able to attend this preliminary meeting.” Sweetland added the league would be open to holding a follow-up meeting with other members of council who were not present. The meeting has become part of a broader debate within Chatham-Kent about the possibility of building a new arena capable of hosting an OHL team. CTV News previously reported that some councillors questioned how the meeting was organized and whether all members of council should have been informed.
