Flint Firebirds Hockey - Adult Major Junior Ice Hockey League (OHL)

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL), known as the premiere development league for the NHL, is one of three major junior ice hockey leagues based in Canada and the United States that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 10.59.37 AM The league is for players aged 16–20 and nearly 70% of the players competing in the National Hockey League are alums of the CHL. Additionally, the OHL provided the top two picks at the 2025 NHL Draft, four of the top six, five of the top eight and nine of the 32 in the first round. 41 OHL players were selected at the 2025 NHL Draft, the most of any developmental league and the most from the league since the 2017 season. Some notable OHL alumni include Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mickey Redmond, Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman.

More than 250 scouts representing all 32 NHL clubs attend Firebirds games every year, an average of seven unique scouts per game.

Since the Flint Firebirds’ inception seven seasons ago in 2015, the club has had 37 drafted or NHL-signed players on its roster. The team has had two first round NHL draft picks, Ty Dellandrea (Dallas, 2018) and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers, 2021).

The OHL has more than 550, or 80% of its games televised ever year through its broadcast partners Rogers TV, TVCogeco, Eastlink, Shaw TV and the NHL Network. Recognized as a leader in television coverage, OHL fans in Ontario have the opportunity to add the “OHL Action Pak” to their television subscription to watch every game on TV throughout the season, similar to the NHL Center Ice and MLB Extra Innings TV packages.

There are 20 teams in the OHL; 17 are based in Ontario, two teams in Michigan, the Flint Firebirds and Saginaw Spirit and one team in Pennsylvania, the Erie Otters.

Flint, Michigan, home of the Firebirds, is the third largest city in the state and includes a metro population of nearly 500,000, encompassing an even larger number in the surrounding region, boasting 3 million people within a 60-mile radius.

While known for it’s success in the lumbering industry, Flint was also the leading manufacturer of carriages and other vehicles earning it the nickname of “Vehicle City” prior to becoming an automobile manufacturing powerhouse for Buick and Chevrolet.