Motor City Rockers ‘ready to entertain’ in upcoming hockey season in Fraser – Macomb Daily

Scott Brand didn’t listen to the naysayers back then. He’s not listening now.

The newly named president of the Motor City Rockers doesn’t think the Fraser-based hockey team can’t expand interest and fan base despite competing in a market that includes the Detroit Red Wings.

I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad market, Brand said Monday. I think there are just bad marketers, and that goes for almost any business.

Joining the Rockers represents a homecoming of sorts for Brandi, a former minor league umpire who has settled in Clinton Township. His family moved to Iowa from Rockford when Brand was 7 years old.

Brand oversees corporate partnerships, promotions, sales and operations for the Federal Prospects Hockey League team that plays home games at Big Boy Arena.

He has worked for franchises in the Iowa cities of Waterloo and Dubuque; Youngstown, Ohio; Winston-Salem, NC, and Columbus, Ga., his most recent stop.

“Every place I’ve gone, I’ve been told that hockey doesn’t work here, or it’s a dying city,” Brand said. This is a unique city. I was used to being the only fish in the pond. (In other markets, the media) did not report on the major league teams; we were the city team.

Coming here is a different challenge. But I think there is enough room in this market. I look forward to the challenge.

He said he appreciates being in an area where fans know “the finer points” of hockey.

“I don’t have to explain what the dashboard is or what the ice logo is to the people I’m trying to sell to,” he said.

The Rockers, Brand said, recently signed a four-year lease that will keep them at Big Boy Arena through the 2026-27 season.

I think it’s important to show people who were going to be here, Brand said. “What you can embrace here at Big Boy is that it’s intimate. There is not a bad seat here.”

In Columbus, Brand served as president of Ignite Sports and Entertainment and led the expansion of the FPHL’s Columbus River Dragons and the Columbus Chatt-a-Hoots and Chattahoochee Monsters baseball teams.

He said the Rockers will continue to follow the FPHL model of being fan-friendly with players interacting with the public.

I think people understand that Single-A hockey,” Brand said. We have to explain what it was all about. Most importantly, we needed to make sure we were ready to entertain people while they were in our building.

The Rockers will add a mascot this season, which Brand says has not been named.

They were waiting to announce it, he said.

He expects the mascot to be the Rockers’ most popular player, at least in the minds of the kids.

It’s a love affair waiting to happen, Brand said.

The Rockers, Brand said, want to be an affordable entertainment option for families.

We need to make sure that the mother feels safe, that the toilets are clean and that she is okay with what is happening, he said. And I need dad’s entertainment. Did he get his money’s worth for spending time with us?

If you have a product, you need to get out there and tell people what the product is.

FPHL has a tryout camp on the 3rd-6th. August in Elmira, NY, home of the River Sharks.

Brand said fans can continue to expect to see players with local connections suit up for the Rockers, who made the playoffs last season in their debut.

“This (area) is a hockey factory,” he said. “There are so many Triple-A and high-level kids and talented kids here. One advantage we can have is to fix some of those kids.”

The Rockers begin a 56-game season on Oct. 20 in Port Huron against the FPHL franchise closest to the Motor City.

“It’s a perfect competitor for us,” Brand said. “Port Huron is an excellent hockey town. Both franchises bring fans with them.

The home opener is on October 27 against the expansion Virginia franchise.

The regular season ends with a home-and-home series against Port Huron on the 12th-13th. April.

Motor City, Port Huron, Carolina, Columbus, Mississippi and Baton Rouge are in the Continental Division.

Defending champion Danbury, Binghamton, Elmira, Watertown and Virginia make up the Empire Division.

Season tickets are on sale. For more information, visit MCRockersHockey.com online.