IMS USA announces plan to renovate Flint ice arenas with goal of landing USHL franchise

ushl boxBy Matt Mackinder –

Even after a press conference Tuesday in Flint to announce a potential United States Hockey League team coming into the city down the road, questions still remain unanswered.

IMS USA, a Florida-based manufacturing company, made it known today that it plans to spend up to $3 million updating Perani Arena and Iceland Arenas with the hopes of landing a USHL franchise. The company also added that a new sign visible from I-69 would be constructed and the Perani exterior would be redone.

The North American Hockey League’s Michigan Warriors, who currently play at Perani Arena, have called the mid-Michigan city home since 2010, but would they relocate if the USHL took over the arena? That answer seems to be “yes.”

IMS USA’s technical director, Rolf Nilsen, and president Costa Papista were in attendance at the press conference, held at the Flint Chamber of Commerce. Papista was part of the team that brought the Saginaw Spirit to the Ontario Hockey League in 2002 from North Bay, Ont., and also helped get Wayne State University’s former NCAA Division I program off the ground in 1999.

“Our plan long term is to enhance the caliber of hockey for Flint and Genesee County,” Papista said. “And to that end, we have an application in to the USHL, which is the premier Tier I league in the United States. This past year alone, they had 35 players drafted in the National Hockey League.”

“I want to bring in top-level hockey to the area,” added Nilsen. “It’s a good thing for hockey fans and a good thing for Flint and Genesee County.”

Papista said he’s hopeful the renovations to Perani will attract more events outside of hockey. The arena holds about 4,000 seats for hockey and around 6,000 for concerts.

Should the USHL land in Flint, it would make for an instant in-state rivalry with the Muskegon Lumberjacks – a renewal of a rivalry from when both teams played in the minor pro circuit.

The USHL acknowledged that they received an application request from the interested Flint party, as well.

“Our league regularly receives expressions of interest for expansion from all over the country and we recently received an application from an organization intending to locate a team in Flint,” said Bob Fallen, USHL president and commissioner, in a release. “While we are not actively seeking expansion markets for next season, we will submit this application to our very diligent and extensive process of evaluation.  It should be noted that when it comes to any future expansion, our clear mandate is to seek ownership groups in markets/cities that are capable of securing long-term sustainability and success on and off the ice.”

Tuesday’s announcement also puts to rest the rumors regarding the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers moving to Flint.

Yesterday, ESPN reporter and Michigan native Craig Custance said that Whalers owner Peter Karmanos hopes to move the team to Chatham, Ontario.