Major news for hockey expansion in the greater Toronto area: a team could be announced imminently
The city of Hamilton has been aching for a new hockey team in recent years, and now it appears they'll get their wish with a new AHL team reportedly on the way.
The NHL have expanded several times in the last few years with the introduction of the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken, and all this time, many have been calling for a new team in the Greater Toronto Area. The obvious candidate in the area is the city of Hamilton, who lost their OHL team the Hamilton Bulldogs to Brantford in the last few years, and now, they may be getting a fairly solid consolation prize.
According to a report, the City of Hamilton is set to announce a new team, but this time it will be for the American Hockey League, and while it's unclear exactly who will be heading to Hamilton, it's exciting news for the city and the province.
Reportedly, an announcement could be set for as soon as early 2025, and given the desire for hockey in Ontario and specifically Hamilton, this is great news with the introduction of a team that will no doubt get plenty of support. While many believe the NHL's next expansion should come in Canada, it's clear that Gary Bettman is looking to continue growing the game in the United States, with an AHL team the only possibility in Canada at this point.
More details are set to come out soon after the initial report from Tony Androckitis, but for now, this is a very positive move for the city of Hamilton, who will now have a new team to get behind as hockey continues to grow in Canada.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 11 | 191 ANSWERS Major news for hockey expansion in the greater Toronto area: a team could be announced imminently Will the new Hamilton AHL team be an expansion team or a relocation? | ||
| Expansion | 71 | 37.2 % |
| Relocation | 120 | 62.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||