ORLANDO, FL – It’s official. Mickey Mouse and Dwight Howard have new neighbors.
Tuesday afternoon, the ECHL announced that its Board of Governors had approved the awarding of an expansion franchise to Orlando Pro Hockey Operations L.P. to begin play at the Amway Center starting next October. The franchise will be the 22nd member of the ECHL, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next season.
“We’re ecstatic. We worked hard to put together this team in terms of getting the lease with the Amway Center and now the team,” Bob Ohrablo, Managing Partner of the ownership group said. “Now we’re in business. It‘s great.”
The announcement comes just two weeks after OPHO received approval of the lease negotiated between the team and Allen Johnson, Orlando venues executive director. Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Orlando City Council approved the lease in a unanimous 7-0 vote.
The vote by the ECHL’s Board of Governors was unanimously in favor of granting the expansion franchise. In a release sent out by the league, Commissioner Brian McKenna said the ECHL was very excited about the opportunity to have a team in Orlando.
“We are pleased to welcome Orlando to the ECHL,” McKenna said. “The combination of a strong market, a world-class sports facility in the Amway Center and a strong ownership group led by Joe Haleski, make this a very welcome addition to our southern geography. With decades of combined experience, this seasoned management group is well suited for the challenge of starting and operating a successful team in this major market over the long term.”
Haleski, Ohrablo and Jason Siegel, who at one time worked for the ECHL as well as the New Jersey Devils, comprise the ownership of Orlando Pro Hockey Operations. They put together the presentation for the ECHL with the hopes of simply getting approval. Ohrablo said that the unanimous vote was a testament to how hard the group worked in preparing the presentation.
“We expected it (franchise) to be approved. You never know with a group of people if you’re going to be approved unanimously,” Ohrablo said. “We submitted a strong application. We certainly have a great market and a great arena. We did a nice job putting together a practice facility over at RDV Sports. I think we submitted everything a league could ask for.”
Ohrablo went on to say that the ECHL people were impressed with the amount of cooperation the new ownership group was receiving from the city of Orlando and RDV Sports, the owners of the NBA’s Orlando Magic and primary tenant at the Amway Center. He added that the fact that OPHO’s ownership group has an extensive background in hockey also helped to garner the positive vote.
“They were impressed with the way the Amway Center negotiated the lease for us, realizing that it is a large building with lots of expenses but they were very helpful in getting a deal done. They were very impressed with our arrangement and our partnership with the Magic,” he said. “Quite honestly, they were excited to have some people who have as much experience as our ownership group does to run a team in a key market like this.”
Orlando’s franchise will give the state two ECHL teams. The Florida Everblades, who joined the ECHL in 1998, play out of the Germain Arena in Estero, which is near Naples and Fort Myers. Ohrablo said that the Everblades ownership, in particular team President/General Manager Craig Brush, were very supportive of Orlando’s entry.
“They were very supportive. Craig Brush was very supportive. He helped us compile the business plan. I think we just cut his travel costs quite a bit today,” Ohrablo said. “I think the Everblades and our team will be an incredible rivalry on the ice and an incredible partnership off the ice.”
Reaction to the approval of the franchise from the city was joyous. Mayor Dyer was extremely happy that the city will once again play host to professional hockey.
“I am excited that the City of Orlando will once again be home to professional hockey,” Dyer said. “The new Amway Center was designed with the goal of adding a hockey team and features amenities specific to hockey. We look forward to showcasing the new state-of-the-art Amway Center to hockey fans here in Central Florida and giving them an experience they will never forget.”
Johnson, who worked in cities that hosted ECHL teams before coming to Orlando, was just as excited to have another team calling the $400 million dollar Amway Center home.
“This is a big deal and I’m delighted the first puck drop is less than a year away,” he said. “Having professional hockey back in Orlando will undoubtedly bring much excitement, draw new audiences and generate additional revenue for the Amway Center.”
Ohrablo said that the team is currently working on setting up offices at the RDV Sportsplex in nearby Maitland. He added that there would be a press conference some time during the week of November 14th to introduce the team – including the name and strategic pieces of the marketing plan – to the fans. The team also launched a website, http://orlandoprohockeyisback.com/ , where fans can make deposits for season tickets and get other early information.
“We’re going to be very aggressive in the market and very visible in the marketplace. To us, to our group, the hockey season actually started this year and not next year,” he said. “We want to make sure that we cultivate the market and get people excited. In the little bit (of time) that’s happened so far, people are finding us and they’re wanting to know how can I get season tickets, how can I get sponsorships. It’s been a very nice welcome.”
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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