By Eric G. | ncwlife.com
June 16, 2023
The Wenatchee Wild will make the jump into the Western Hockey League this fall. Wild owner David White has purchased the Winnipeg Ice and will move the WHL franchise to Wenatchee.
The move is having a ripple effect throughout the hockey community and Wild general manager Bliss Littler’s phone is ringing off the hook. NCWLIFE sat down with Littler Friday to discuss the move and what it means for hockey fans in the Wenatchee Valley. He says the whole thing occurred rather quickly.
Littler came to Wenatchee in 2012 and coached the franchise until 2020 when health issues forced him to hang up his whistle and concentrate on administration as the general manager. He says the move to the WHL is a milestone achievement.
The Western Hockey League is several steps above where Wenatchee has been in the NAHL and BCHL with players focused on reaching the NHL.
Littler says he and his staff attended a WHL finals game between Winnipeg and Seattle last month. News of the Wild moving to the WHL has resulted in quite a level of excitement in the office and for Wild fans as a whole.
Geographically, moving to the Western Hockey League makes sense. Littler says in the NAHL, Wenatchee was having to fly to Alaska for games and in the BCHL, they were the furthest team south and bused for hours and hours. Littler adds that natural rivalries should develop with teams being so close.
In addition to developing geographic rivalries, Western Hockey League fans will be able to easily travel to support their teams if they’re coming from Everett, Seattle, Spokane or Tri-Cities.
Players in the Western Hockey League, according to Littler, are uber-focused on reaching the NHL. But he says if the dreams of reaching the pros doesn’t turn out, teams take care of the educational needs of players.
Littler says they are reaching out to season ticket holders today about options for the upcoming season. The WHL season will add eight additional home games, so fans will have a choice to purchase the additional tickets or opt out.
More information about the move will be available in the coming weeks, including what the move to the Western Hockey League may mean for Wild games being broadcast on NCWLIFE Channel.
Source: ncwlife.com
