The Chatham Maroons are now officially connected to an OHL team.
The Saginaw Spirit announced a formal affiliation with the Maroons on Monday, June 12.
"The Maroons are a first-class organization with great ownership and remarkable people within their franchise," said Dave Drinkill, Spirit General Manager in a press release.
Last season the Spirit had a pair of Maroons on the roster, forward David Brown and goaltender Brett Fullerton. Brown played four games for the Spirit and finished second in scoring for the Maroons with 54 points, while Fullerton led Chatham with 12 wins, and made four appearances in Saginaw.
"We're incredibly proud to partner with a first-class organization in the Saginaw Spirit," said Chatham's Head Coach and GM Richard Santos. "This affiliation offers our organization insight on what it will take to develop our players for the next level, as well as further their careers as a whole. We've had a working relationship with Saginaw in the past and look forward to growing this one. This affiliation will provide great opportunities for players and the organization as a whole."
The Maroons' leading scorer last season was Julien Gervais, the brother of Saginaw's Sebastien Gervais.
"We had certain criteria that needed to be met in our search for an affiliate, and Chatham exceeded our expectations," said Drinkill. "I'm looking forward to working closely with the Maroons as I believe this is a perfect place for future Spirit players to grow their game."