WHL’s Winnipeg franchise sold and moving to Wenatchee, Washington

The Winnipeg ICE has been sold and is moving to Wenatchee, Washington.

The team couldn’t stay in Canada due to arena issues.

“Unfortunately, multiple attempts by the ICE ownership to construct an arena facility of acceptable Western Hockey League standards in Winnipeg, based on the agreed upon timeframes, were unsuccessful, leading to the relocation to Wenatchee,” according to a WHL media release issued today, June 16.

The WHL franchise will now be part of the U.S. Division and Western Conference. The U.S. now has six teams in the WHL compared to 16 in Canada.

“The WHL would like to thank the Winnipeg ICE fans for their support and the ICE organization for building a highly successful hockey program that we expect will have a great future in Washington State,” the WHL says in the release.

Wenatchee’s new owner is David White of the California-based Shoot the Puck Foundation.

Many hockey fans are already familiar with the new WHL team – the Wenatchee Wild – which had been competing in the city as part of the BC Hockey League until this past season. It will become part of the WHL at the start of the 2023-2024 regular season.

The Wild was the only American team in the BCHL. 

“The Wenatchee Wild has been a strong BCHL franchise and we extend our best wishes for their continued success in the future,” Graham Fraser, BCHL's chairman said in a press release. “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.”

— This story updated at 11:53 a.m. Friday, June 16, with information from the BCHL.

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