ICE on the move…again
The WHL has issued a statement following Friday’s news that the former Kootenay ICE will be relocating for the second time in less than five years.
The league confirms the Winnipeg ICE have been sold to David White of California’s Shoot the Puck Foundation and the club will relocate to Wenatchee, Washington for the 2023-24 season.
Wenatchee will join the WHL’s US Division, and the league will have 11 clubs in both the Western and Eastern Conference.
A statement from the league says multiple attempts by the ICE ownership to build an arena of acceptable WHL standards were unsuccessful, leading to the relocation to Wenatchee.
Prior to moving to Winnipeg, the ICE were located in Cranbrook from 1998-2019 where they won a Memorial Cup and three WHL championships.
Find statements from the WHL and the outgoing Winnipeg ICE ownership group below:
— Winnipeg ICE (@WHLWpgICE) June 16, 2023
The Western Hockey League announced today that 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 member Clubs in each Conference starting next season.
Unfortunately, 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.
The Western Hockey League 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.
– Article includes statements from Winnipeg ICE, WHL
