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Post by kingpin794 on Oct 23, 2024 7:06:49 GMT -5
ICYMI: Jeff Marek is reporting that Youngstown and Muskegon of the USHL came to the OHL to see about the possibilty of joining the league. x.com/JeffMarek/status/1848856800554283265The likelihood of the NCAA taking CHL players in the near future is predicted to put some pressure on US feeder leagues. Seems like these 2 franchises are trying to get out in front of this early. These would both be ideal additions to the league. Youngstown creates a perfect rival for Erie and sits between them and the MI teams. Muskegon would give the league a footprint in west MI, giving some recruiting help for the Chicago/IL prospects. I think the league could get away with 22 teams. Especially if more players are willing to jump ship to the OHL once the new rules come into effect. Divisions would have to be remade but I think there is a fairly easy fix to that. Move Muskegon into the west division. Youngstown to the midwest. Slide Guelph to the east conference. Thoughts? |
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Post by aj0512 on Oct 23, 2024 8:08:03 GMT -5
Times are certainly changing. I'm not smart enough/too lazy to do research to try and figure out how things might look once the NCAA stuff goes into effect, but another aspect to consider is the rumor that 19-year-old players might soon be eligible for the AHL in the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement if teams determine they're ready for that level. I think 22 teams would work as well, but I just hope the league doesn't start to get watered down (I personally think the NHL is already way too far down that road).
As for divisional realignment, yes, Guelph is likely the team to head East. But you know what, I think we should get a little crazy. Give me a U.S. Division like the WHL has. Could boost attendance with traveling fans, help rivalries, and less time wasted sitting at the border (the Blue Water Bridge is a total nightmare these days). Here's how I'd draw it up. It's got some flaws, but every divisional idea with this league probably does.
U.S. Division: Erie, Flint, Muskegon, Saginaw, Youngstown
Midwest Division: Brantford, Guelph, Kitchener, London, Sarnia, Windsor
North Division: Barrie, North Bay, Owen Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury
East Division: Brampton, Kingston, Niagara, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough
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Post by katokaelin on Oct 29, 2024 10:25:35 GMT -5
Very well said by 2 previous posts. I think it would be a win-win on many levels. Certainly would cut down on travel expenses and have more rivalries which increases fan interest. You would just have to either increase the number of games from 68 to possibly 72 or just cut down on a few intraconference games, ala play Guelph, London, etc 3x instead of 4. Either way I think it could work and would be beneficial.
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Post by aj0512 on Nov 7, 2024 8:50:20 GMT -5
With the NCAA ruling likely to be a reality, the QMJHL is looking to expand to 20 teams with two new teams in the U.S. in the next 3-5 years. journallesoir.ca/2024/11/06/lhjmq-expansion-aux-etats-unis-en-vue/I don't know if Muskegon and Youngstown will get into the OHL, but it is quite clear they are trying to get ahead of the curve with some of USHL player defections going on recently. |
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Post by donjohnson on Nov 7, 2024 9:58:34 GMT -5
I wonder how far the Q would be willing to travel down? There's not a lot in Maine or Northern Vermont or New Hampshire. Also, Buffalo has NHL and Rochester/Syracuse have AHL so it likely wouldn't work there for the same reasons as Detroit/Toronto burbs.
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Post by kingpin794 on Nov 7, 2024 11:44:09 GMT -5
I wonder how far the Q would be willing to travel down? There's not a lot in Maine or Northern Vermont or New Hampshire. Also, Buffalo has NHL and Rochester/Syracuse have AHL so it likely wouldn't work there for the same reasons as Detroit/Toronto burbs. Manchester, NH doesn't have any kind of team right now. Could then get Lewiston back. That would be 2 teams about 2 hrs apart. Q needs to get some kind of American footprint or they are going to fall even farther behind then they already are. |
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Post by aj0512 on Nov 15, 2024 12:08:01 GMT -5
Sounds like Manchester, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine are the cities to watch for Q expansion. Not sure how Portland might work as there is already an ECHL team there with a committed owner. We'll see.
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Post by donjohnson on Nov 15, 2024 13:03:10 GMT -5
Sounds like Manchester, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine are the cities to watch for Q expansion. Not sure how Portland might work as there is already an ECHL team there with a committed owner. We'll see. I just don't think there is room for more than one team in these cities...the ECHL team likely has a good following and those fans aren't going to split time between the 2 teams. |
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Post by aj0512 on Nov 24, 2024 10:05:10 GMT -5
Elliotte Friedman reported last night on HNIC that the OHL is "aggressively" pursuing expansion and it could happen as soon as next season. Might also be more than two teams.
I'm not trying to be a reporter, but I've heard from a couple people "in the know" that Muskegon is one of them.
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