BCHL – Page 5 – CanucksBanter

June 16, 2023

WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wild organization is excited and humbled to announce its approval as the newest member club in the Western Hockey League (WHL), effective with the 2023-24 season. The team’s membership in the WHL replaces that of the Winnipeg Ice, whose membership in the league has been purchased by Wenatchee Wild owners David and Lisa White.

“We are very excited as an organization to join the Western Hockey League,” said David White. “Our vision has always been to operate with the highest level of standards for our players, and we have a responsibility to develop players to the best of our ability and prepare them for the next level. For our players, our community and our organization, this is an incredible opportunity to provide the greatest overall experience in our great sport. The state of Washington is a great hockey state at all levels. We have a home now with an American division that finally provides us with the long-term sustainability we have been searching for.

“We are very grateful to WHL Commissioner Ron Robison and Board of Governors Chairman Bruce Hamilton for welcoming us, and we look forward to being a valuable partner. We are thankful to all those who have come before us and been a part of our journey, what began in California and led ultimately to the BCHL. We are grateful to the BCHL for welcoming us when they did, and for the great leadership under Chris Hebb, Steve Cocker and Graham Fraser – we wish them the best.”

The move to the WHL continues the organization’s storied junior hockey legacy in the Wenatchee Valley, which began in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) in 2008, and continued with the Whites’ purchase of the team in 2013 and the team’s move to the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in 2015. The Wild sincerely thank the BCHL and its staff, member clubs and team governors for eight successful years of partnership as a BCHL member club.

“The Wenatchee Wild could not be prouder to be the newest franchise in the WHL,” said Wenatchee general manager Bliss Littler. “Being located in the middle of the U.S. Division will make it easy for Wild fans to travel to our new rivals, and for rival fans to make the easy trip to Wenatchee in the middle of Central Washington. We are excited to be competing in the top development league in the world against many future NHL players. The combination of world-class hockey and the education packages the players get make this the best of both worlds. We will continue to work to make the fans in the Wenatchee Valley proud of our team.”

The shift to the WHL will see the Wild placed in the league’s U.S. Division, alongside Washington-based teams in Seattle, Everett, Spokane and the Tri-Cities, and another in Portland, Oregon, instantly creating new rivalries in the division. It also joins a successful legacy for the Wild, which includes a BCHL Fred Page Cup and a Doyle Cup championship in 2018 and eight National Hockey League draft picks as a Junior “A” organization, with the Western Hockey League’s own track record of success. 2,129 WHL players have been chosen in the NHL Draft since 1967, with 333 of those selections coming in the first round. 28 WHL players were chosen last year alone, with seven first-round selections among those.

“The WHL and our member Clubs are delighted to welcome the Wenatchee Wild to the Western Hockey League,” said Robison. “Under the ownership of David & Lisa White and the management of Bliss Littler, the Wenatchee Wild have become recognized as a highly-regarded junior hockey franchise, and we believe they will be a great addition to our WHL U.S. Division. We know hockey fans throughout Central Washington will be very excited to now be able to witness the world’s finest junior hockey league when the puck drops in Wenatchee this fall.”

Details on the 2023-24 WHL schedule will be announced at a later date. More information is available on the Wenatchee Wild team website at http://www.wenatcheewildhockey.com – updated news and information on Wild hockey are always available through the team’s website and on the team’s social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Source: wenatcheewildhockey.com

By Wayne Moore – Castanet.net

June 16, 2023

The BC Hockey League was taken by surprise Friday with the announcement one of its strongest franchises is leaving for the Western Hockey League.

David White, owner of the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild announced he has purchased the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice and will relocate the team to Wenatchee for the 2023-2024 season.

That spells the end of the Wild as a BCHL franchise.

It also means the league will have to rework the 2023-2024 schedule which it recently completed and try to find homes for the players committed to the Wild for the upcoming season.

“Right now the top priority is the players that were committed to play for the Wild. We will do whatever it takes for those athletes to find a home in the league…and some of those players may look for a home in the U.S.,” said BCHL commissioner Steve Cocker.

He says the league will not entertain any form of dispersal draft saying it’s league policy to let players pick where they want to go.

The schedule is the other priority.

“I don’t think we’ll have to start from scratch but more maintaining a majority of teams schedules and filling in three to four home games they’ll be missing out with the Wild gone.

“I’m confident over the next few weeks we’ll be able to sort that out and get everyone back up to 54 (games).”

Cocker says the league was caught a bit off guard by the news but says it does say something about what the league is doing that franchises are being sought after.

“What they have found moving to the WHL provides them with a long-term solution that will give them an instant rivalry with the U.S. Division so you can’t fault them for making that business decision.

“Is it tough not having an organization like the Wild in our league…sure. They were one of our top organizations but we have a lot of positive momentum going right now with and we’re excited to move forward.”

Source: Castanet.net