The Winnipeg ICE have officially been welcomed to Wenatchee as the Wild by the WHL's Board of Governors.
The team that spent the past four seasons operating in Winnipeg was recently purchased by David White and the California-based Shoot the Puck Foundation.
On Wednesday, the WHL's Board of Governors concluded its annual general meeting, to which a number of broad topics were addressed. Wenatchee's acceptance into the league was one of the top priorities.
The relocation was approved last Friday, while the Wild were formally welcomed as the sixth member of the United States Division of the league's Western Conference at the meeting.
Much like that of their former incarnation as a British Columbia Hockey League team, Wenatchee will drop Winnipeg's 'ICE' moniker - as many predicted - and stick with their 'Wild' nickname.
The team will play out of the 4,300-seat Town Toyota Center, to which the Wild have called home since 2008. Due to the conference makeup shifting, the league also announced that the Swift Current Broncos will remain within its Central Division for 2023-24, before re-joining the East Division for the 2024-25 season.
Also of note is the fact that Winnipeg ICE GM Matt Cockell and more notably, head coach James Patrick would not be making the move with their players to Washington.
Patrick, who has coached the club for each of the past six seasons - dating back to its time in Kootenay - had a sensational record in his home province with the ICE.
Through four seasons in Winnipeg, his team went 166-49-8, including back-to-back 50+ win seasons and first-place finishes across the entire CHL in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Wenatchee is populated by 110K people and serves as the largest city of Chelan County in Washington. The Wild will be situated right within the heart of the U.S. Division, seeing nearby rivals Portland, Seattle, Spokane, Tri-City and Everett all within a 4.5 hour bus ride.
Wild general manager Bliss Littler spoke with Jon Keen of NL Radio on Wednesday, going over a number of topics including that of his current roster, the lack of draft picks and the search for a new head coach.
"I have had two interviews right now," Littler told Keen of his coaching vacancy. "We are still continuing to collect some resumes and just working on that process. When I feel I have the right guy we will make that offer and get it done."
With Patrick no longer in the picture, the Wild will likely have a number of qualified suitors in line. But what the team won't have is a fully-stocked cabinet of prospects heading into its first year operating up a level.
"Boy, at that time you’re kind of speechless," Littler said when first looking at the depleted list of since traded Wild draft picks. "You’re looking at it and you’re like, 'okay, we gotta figure out a plan.' You’re not going to get all of those picks back at one time. But you have to formulate a plan and that’s exactly what we’re working on right now."
"It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll figure it out."
No, it won't be easy for the team whose previous hockey operations staff traded away four first-round picks, one second-rounder, five third-rounders, three fourth-rounders, two fifth-rounders, one sixth-rounder and a singular ninth-round selection all within the 2022-23 WHL season.
"Not easy" very well may be the understatement of the year.
But despite the lack of draft capital, Littler and his new staff will have some talented players at their disposal, including that of Matt Savoie, Conor Geekie and Zach Benson, pending any sort of offseason moves.
"I’m very grateful to have Winnipeg's 50-player list," he said in his conversation with Keen. "The cupboard is not bare at all with returning players. Everybody knows the situation about the draft picks though."
Something else Littler will need is to bring his fans on board with the idea of major junior hockey at Wenatchee's Town Toyota Center. All that they have known is BCHL calibre content. Come September, that level will be lifted through the roof.
Littler expects his fans to rise to the occasion alongside his new team.
"I think our fans are real excited; I don’t think they understand what the Western Hockey League is," he shared. "I don’t think they realize that these players, they are shooting to play in the NHL... I think they are going to be real excited with the level of play, the style of play and just being able to have rivalries with teams where they are close enough that they can travel."