WHL's Winnipeg Ice to Relocate to Washington State, Become Wenatchee Wild

Winnipeg's major junior hockey team has been sold and will relocate to Wenatchee, Wash., as the Wenatchee Wild.

After four seasons in Winnipeg, the Ice are on the move.

The Winnipeg Ice have been sold to David White of the Shoot the Puck Foundation and will move to Wenatchee, Wash., roughly 2.5 to 3 hours east of Seattle. TSN's Darren Dreger first reported the news before the WHL's announcement on Friday.

The WHL board of governors approved the move, and Wenatchee will join the U.S. Division and Western Conference for the 2023-24 season, balancing the conferences to 11 teams apiece. Wenatchee will be the sixth U.S.-based team in the major junior league, alongside the Seattle Thunderbirds, Everett Silvertips, Spokane Chiefs, Tri-City Americans and Portland Winterhawks.

"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 WHL said in its announcement.

The Ice played out of Wayne Fleming Arena at the University of Manitoba, which had a capacity of 1,600 fans. The Ice averaged the lowest attendance in the league, according to hockeydb.com.

Greg Fettes, the governor of the Winnipeg Ice, said it's a very difficult day for him and Matt Cockell, the GM, president and alternate governor.

"We have invested significant time and money in bringing the best possible major junior hockey product to the Winnipeg market. I think we succeeded there," Fettes said in a statement shared to social media. "We are proud of what we were able to build as far as our organization both on and off the ice.

"Unfortunately, we were just never able to get the (arena) project on solid footing due to the changing landscape during and post-pandemic. Simply put, we ran out of time."

Fettes also said this news cuts deep, and the failure to build a new facility is heartbreaking, as he believes the Ice were an affordable option for families to see "some of the most exciting hockey in Canada," compared to the NHL Jets and AHL Moose.

The franchise moved to Winnipeg ahead of the 2019-20 season after 21 seasons as the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, B.C., and two seasons as the Edmonton Ice before that. 

On the other hand, the Wenatchee Wild said they are excited and humbled to join the WHL. 

"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," David White said in a statement.

"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."

The Wenatchee Wild began in the NAHL before David and Lisa White purchased the team in 2013 and moved to the BCHL in 2015. The Wild will now leave the BCHL as it joins the WHL and the CHL.

Wenatchee will get a team that just came off a WHL final, where the Ice lost to the Thunderbirds. Ice player Zach Benson is one of the top CHL prospects available in the 2023 NHL draft.