Single A in the Bay?

A new professional hockey league wants North Bay to hop onboard.

The league is set to begin play next fall in two countries.

Further information is included in the following news release issued at 5 p.m. by the Northern League of Professional Hockey:
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THE LAUNCH OF A NEW PRO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Single ‘A’ hockey league set to begin play in 2005-2006

The Northern League of Professional Hockey (NLPH) will be launching their inaugural season in 2005-2006.

The NPHL is seeking to “offer an affordable family entertainment and profitable community based professional hockey league”.

With the intention of beginning its first campaign in the fall of 2005 with eight franchises based out of Southern Ontario and the mid-America and north east United States. The league will be a single ‘A’ professional hockey league, something that has been lacking in professional ice hockey.

With extremely reasonable franchise fees, the NLPH is determined to get eight high caliber ownership groups that have the financial capacity to field a franchise and the marketing savvy to be successful at the gate and in the community.

The league will be targeting hockey markets where a OHL or minor pro franchise does not exist. North Bay, Brantford, Cornwall, Niagara Falls ONT, Danville Il, Huntingdon WV, and Utica NY are among some ideal locations the league has targeted.

Initial conversations have taken place between the various facilities and NLPH league management. Arenas in Wisconsin and Ohio are currently under negotiation and have not yet been released.

The NLPH is in its initial stages of seeking prospective franchise ownership groups, and encourages all interested parties to contact the Northern League President, Jeff Grable at (610-415-9576), or Cary Kaplan from Cosmos Sports at (905-206-0076).

Cosmos Sports, managed by the former president of the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), Cary Kaplan, will be assisting Jeff Grable of the NLPH in their efforts to establish a successful single A hockey league. Further information on the Northern League can be obtained at www.singleahockey.com.