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The Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga Steelheads are reportedly on the move.
They’re not going far, though.
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The Steelheads franchise is expected to bolt Mississauga’s Paramount Fine Foods Centre for Brampton, TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger said on the social-media site X, citing sources.
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“Finalization of the move still requires league approval pending some details being worked out,” Dreger said.
The team confirmed the report in a message to season ticket holders, the news website Insauga.com reported, saying the move should be made in time for the start of the 2024-25 OHL season. The team reportedly plans to move into the nearby CAA Centre, which housed the Brampton Battalion until 2013 before the franchise marched to North Bay.
“We strongly believe that a relocation will allow us to not only continue to expand our reach, but also create new opportunities to engage with the team in fresh and exciting ways,” a message from the team said, according to Insauga.com “The decision to move was not made lightly and we are confident that this change will contribute to the continued growth and success of the hockey club.
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“Mississauga will continue to be part of our home territory.”
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When the Steelheads’ move becomes official, it would end a 26-year tradition of OHL hockey in Mississauga, which began hosting the IceDogs in 1998 before the franchise moved to St. Catharines in 2007. The Toronto St. Michael’s Majors immediately replaced the IceDogs in 2007-08 before being sold in 2012 and renamed as the Steelheads, who made the OHL final in 2017.
Brampton also entered the league in 1998, making a trip to the OHL final in 2009 before heading to North Bay amid declining attendance. The Steelheads have also struggled to draw fans, averaging a league-low 2,256 spectators per game this season, according to HockeyDB.com.
The Steelheads (23-18-4) are third in the OHL’s Central Division.
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