Report: Plymouth Whalers to announce move to Flint

The Plymouth Whalers appear to be on the move to Flint.

The Ontario Hockey League team has scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Compuware Arena, with Whalers governor Mike Vellucci and owner Peter Karmanos expected to be in attendance.

While the team didn't indicate the reason for the news conference, several news outlets, including ABC 12's Terry Camp and the Flint Journal's Aaron McMann, say a deal to move the team to Flint appears to be done, "pending OHL approval," according to Camp.

The Whalers announced last fall that they were selling Compuware Arena to USA Hockey. Karmanos had told ESPN.com's Craig Custance that it was difficult to "break even" in Plymouth with the decline in fan attendance.

Karmanos had reportedly targeted Chatham, Ontario, as a potential relocation site for the Whalers. Chatham is 75 miles east of Plymouth.

Flint, meanwhile, is a 1-hour drive north from Plymouth.

The Whalers were founded in 1990 as the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors. They began playing at Compuware Arena in Plymouth when it was built for the 1996-97 season.