One person who’d be thrilled to see the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) add a team in Chatham-Kent (CK) is one of the top players from the area.
Wallaceburg’s Seth Griffith is currently leading the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) as their captain. Before starting his pro career, Griffith spent four seasons with the London Knights, helping them win two OHL championships in a row.
Griffith was recently featured on the Chatham-Kent Beyond the Headlines podcast, where he shared his views on the OHL looking into adding a team in CK.
Earlier this year, OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford met with various municipal leaders to discuss details about the league’s current status and possible expansion plans. According to CK Mayor Darrin Canniff, both parties agreed that Chatham-Kent would be an excellent spot for a new team.
For Griffith, it just makes sense for the OHL to grow into this area.
“There are so many hockey enthusiasts locally. I think it’s about time [and] hopefully it comes to Chatham,” he explained.
The main reason why Chatham-Kent hasn’t had a team yet is due to a lack of an appropriate arena. The largest venue in Chatham is the Memorial Arena, which holds about 2,500 fans. It would be the smallest arena in the OHL; Brantford has a similar-sized arena but plans to build a new one that can seat over 5,000 people.
A big question remains whether Chatham-Kent could reliably fill an arena that size and if such a major investment would pay off. Griffith believes that the municipality has what it takes.
“If you look at a similar city like Sarnia, they seem, when they have good teams, to hold their own pretty well,” he added.
Adding another team in southwestern Ontario could also encourage more local players to consider playing in the OHL instead of other leagues. Leagues like the United States Hockey League (USHL) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are becoming more attractive options for players now.
Griffith mentioned how playing in London meant so much because it was close to home.
“My family got to come to a lot of games. My parents, aunt, and uncle would always come with my grandma, and my wife now, she’d make it out a decent amount,” he added.
If staying near home matters most players, having a team in southwest Ontario would be significant. A report by Numberbarn shows that southwestern Ontario has produced the second-most NHL players ever-only behind Toronto’s area.
Not everyone in Chatham-Kent supports bringing an OHL team here. Some local councillors were unhappy after finding out they hadn’t been included in discussions with the OHL Commissioner. Their main concern revolves around funding for a new arena since early estimates put costs around $200 million.
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