The Leamington Flyers will be a development team for an OHL team.
The Junior B hockey club announced Thursday afternoon that it has signed an affiliation agreement with the Flint Firebirds. Through this arrangement, the Firebirds will be able to assign players, draft picks and prospects to develop in Leamington.
"We are excited about the opportunity to have the Leamington Flyers as an affiliate of the Firebirds," Barclay Branch, the Firebirds' general manager and vice-president of hockey operations said in a media release. "Leamington is well-known as a respected program in a great developmental league as the GOJHL and will provide an excellent environment for our prospects to develop and reach their hockey goals."
"We are thrilled to be affiliating with a first-class organization like the Flint Firebirds,” said Flyers General Manager Justin Solcz. "This partnership is a perfect fit for our organization and aligns with our goals of developing players for the next level. The entire Leamington organization is excited to learn from Barclay, Eric [head coach Wellwood] and the rest of the Firebirds’ staff as we start this relationship."
Leamington joins the LaSalle Vipers as local Junior B clubs with OHL affiliations. The Vipers are affiliated with the Windsor Spitfires.
The Flyers are coming off a season in which they won the GOJHL Western Conference regular-season title. Training camp for the 2019-2020 campaign takes place at the Kinsmen Centre on the weekend of August 16.