WHL team relocating to Wenatchee; BCHL team future uncertain

The Western Hockey League team in Winnipeg is moving to Washington state, which will have an impact on the BC Hockey League as well.

The WHL has announced the Winnipeg ICE franchise has been sold and relocated to Wenatchee, Washington, and will operate under the new ownership of David White of the California-based Shoot the Puck Foundation.

The sale and relocation of the Winnipeg franchise has received the approval of the WHL board of governors and is effective immediately.

Wenatchee becomes the sixth U.S.-based WHL team and will join the WHL’s U.S. Division and Western Conference for the 2023-24 season. The relocation to Wenatchee will allow the WHL to balance its Western and Eastern Conferences with 11 teams in each conference starting next season.

The league said multiple attempts by the ICE ownership to construct an arena facility of acceptable WHL standards in Winnipeg, based on the agreed upon timeframes, were unsuccessful, leading to the relocation to Wenatchee.

David White also owns the BC Hockey League’s Wenatchee Wild, which the BCHL says “will no longer play in Wenatchee.”

“The ownership group in Wenatchee believes having a WHL team in their city is the best fit geographically, providing an excellent opportunity to compete in a US division. This strategic move has been deemed in the best long-term interest of their market,” a news release from the BCHL said.

“The Wenatchee Wild has been a strong BCHL franchise and we extend our best wishes for their continued success in the future,” Graham Fraser, Chairman of the Board, said. “As a league, we are assessing our next steps, including reviewing the best options for players currently on the Wenatchee Wild’s roster and addressing schedule implications for the 2023-24 season.”

The Ice were founded in 1996 as the Edmonton Ice, an expansion team owned by Ed Chynoweth, the WHL’s longtime president. The team relocated to Cranbrook, B.C. in 1998 and became the Kootenay Ice.

The team announced a move to Winnipeg after the 2018–19 season.