FLINT -- "Flint Tropics" and "Flint Pride" are among the five assumed names that the owners of Flint's new Ontario Hockey League team has registered with the state of Michigan, providing possible clues to the eventual nickname of the team.

Public records show IMS Hockey Corp., the company that recently purchased the Plymouth Whalers with plans to move the team to Flint's Perani Arena, has registered "Flint Tropics," "Flint Pride," "Flint Phoenix," "Flint Sparks" and "Flint Vikings" with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

Applications for the Tropics and Pride were filed on Jan. 30, three days prior to the OHL approving the sale and relocation of the Whalers, while the Phoenix, Sparks and Vikings were filed Friday, Feb. 6. These filings give IMS Hockey full use of the names through Dec. 31, 2020.

Team President Costa Papista did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment Friday, two days after the team launched a naming contest asking the public to submit their ideas for a name, logo and colors.

The contest, promising season tickets and an autographed jersey to the individual whose submission is used, is scheduled to end at midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The team name and logo are expected to be unveiled on Feb. 20.

IMS Hockey Corp. registered the name "Flint Generals" with the state's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on Jan. 9, but the OHL, already with a team in Oshawa, Ontario, using the Generals name, shot down the idea of having two teams in the league with the same name.

Most notable of the new filings is the Tropics name, a favorite on social media of late that gained traction from the 2008 film made in Flint, "Semi-Pro." Public records show the name "Flint Tropics Inc." was filed by David Underwood of Haslett and Mark Owen of Davison in November 2009 for a proposed amateur baseball team in Flint. The team never came to fruition and the filing was dissolved in October 2012.

The OHL approved the Whalers' move to Flint on Monday, Feb. 2, and granted the team approval to play at Perani Arena for the 2015-16 season.

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Aaron McMann covers sports for The Flint Journal. Contact him: amcmann@mlive.com; on Twitter @AaronMcMann.