Steelheads will mark move from Mississauga with 2024 home opener in Brampton

The newly-christened Brampton Steelheads will bring OHL hockey action to Brampton this year with a home opener and back-to-back games to start the season.

The Steelheads announced in January the upcoming move would bring an end to more than two decades of Ontario Hockey League action in Mississauga but open a new chapter for the sport in Brampton, with the CAA Centre set to be the new home rink for the team.

Now Brampton hockey fans can get their first look at what to expect from the team with the unveiling of the 2024/2025 schedule featuring a pair of back-to-back games to open up play.

The Steelheads will make their hometown debut at the CAA Centre with a match against the Brantford Bulldogs on Sept. 27 before their first away game on Sept. 28 against the Erie Otters.

The Steelheads say the upcoming season will also feature some special games and events like the annual Teddy Bear Toss, Pink at the Rink event, Pucks N Paws celebrations, and school day games.

The team will finish out the regular season at home on March 23 versus the Kingston Frontenacs, which doubles as the Steelheads’ annual fan appreciation game.

Moving to Brampton brings OHL hockey back to town after more than a decade following the Brampton Battalion’s departure for North Bay in 2013, and the team’s owners saw the Steelheads’ move could be a draw for hockey fans in both Mississauga and Brampton.

Season tickets are already available for the 2024/2025 season, but tickets for individual games have not yet gone on sale.

The Battalion struggled to draw and averaged an OHL-low 2,191 fans per game in its last season in Southern Ontario. The Steelheads’ move means Mississauga will be without an OHL team for the first time since 1998.