Miners to have ECHL affiliate in Brantford, Ontario.

CANADIAN PRESS (Brantford, ON)

The Sudbury Miners have entered into a three-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL's new expansion team, the Brantford Alexanders.

The agreement will begin immediately with the 2017-18 CCHL season.

"We are proud to extend our footprint in Ontario and partner with the Alexanders for the next three years," Miners general manager Terry James said. "The Alexanders, while new, are building a strong organization from top to bottom and will provide a great opportunity for our young prospects to continue to develop their game."

"It is truly an honor for us to affiliate with such a class organization like the Sudbury Miners," Alexanders general manager Denis Lemieux said in a press release.  "Our fan base will be thrilled as we have many Miners fans here in Brantford."

With this expansion, it brings high level hockey back to Brantford.  The 1970’s OMJHL junior team took the name of the OHA senior team which had played for two years prior, which in themselves were named for Brantford's most famous former resident, telephone pioneer Alexander Graham Bell.  

After two years in the OMJHL, the league changed names to the OHL and the Alexanders played four more seasons in Brantford, before moving to Hamilton as the Steelhawks.  The area has been without this calibre of hockey ever since.

“It was important for us to keep the name (Alexanders).  Many people in the area still relate to those junior teams and given the history of the city, it just fits,” said Lemieux.

Despite their short stint in Brantford, the Alexanders have had 29 alumni play in the NHL, including recognizable names such as Allan Bester and Bob Probert.

The Alexanders will play their home games at Brantford Civic Centre, with a seating capacity of 2,951.