Fred Harbinson of the Penticton Vees (Photo Credit: Jack Murray/Penticton Vees) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f645e5fd-5d84-431f-948c-f7597994c2b1.jpeg] Fred Harbinson of the Penticton Vees (Photo Credit: Jack Murray/Penticton Vees) The WHL will be getting a 23rd team next season as the Pentiction Vees will be joining the league. Pentiction has been home to one of the most successful teams in BCHL history, and have captured four Fred Page Cups in the last decade. Ultimately, the WHL is gaining not just a great organization but also a premier arena, as the South Okanagan Events Centre is also home to the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame. Fred Harbinson is one of the reasons why the Vees have been so successful over the past two decades. Harbinson serves as President, Head Coach and General Manager and has led Penticton to over 700 regular season wins [https://bchl.ca/pentictons-harbinson-reflects-on-700-wins-in-the-bchl] and six Fred Page Cups. Next season, Harbinson will continue in all three roles and is ready for whatever challenges he and the team may face in the WHL. "I think there is a lot of excitement," said Harbinson about the move to the BCHL. "I think we've been in the BC Hockey League since 1961. We were one of the original members. I think over my time here, there's been different eras of Penticton hockey, where we've been very successful. The last 18 years that I've been here, we've had a lot of success on the ice and off the ice. I think everybody's ready for the next challenge." Moving from the BCHL to the WHL is a significant change for the organization and the city. The BCHL is classified as "Junior A", while the WHL falls into the "Major Junior" category of development leagues. As Harbinson explains, while there may be some questions, he is already feeling a buzz around the city since the WHL officially welcomed [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/latest-news/whl-awards-expansion-franchises-to-penticton-and-chilliwack] the Vees to the league. "With change, there's always uncertainty. Some people would wonder like, oh, does this affect the ticket prices and those kind of things? How does that affect it? Our staff and our ownership have done an amazing job of making sure that we didn't price anybody out of the building, even with the step. So, I think once people started to hear that, then it's pretty hard to be negative on it. I think people realize that we're not going to win at the same rate as the BCHL. We won at a pretty incredible clip, and that's not going to happen in the Western Hockey League for a number of different reasons, especially when you're starting from scratch. But, I think the fans here are going to embrace that we're going to get the top players in junior hockey coming through here each and every night." Making a change like this does not happen overnight. It is a complicated process that requires an enthusiastic owner and ownership group. For Pentiction, they have Graham Fraser, who was as ecstatic as Harbinson to join the WHL. "Myself and our majority owner, Graham Fraser. I've been here 18 years and with Graham for 17. Me and Graham have developed a great relationship and are kind of on the same page on a lot of different things. Probably in November, when that NCAA rule change with the CHL players took place, Graham and I looked at our program and thought about what it meant for us. What were the next steps that we had to do to stay relevant in the hockey the higher level of the hockey world, which we were at the time. We both came to the conclusion that looking at going to the Western Hockey League actually was the next step in the evolution of our program. There were a lot of different facets that were involved, and we worked hand in hand to make sure that we are where we are today." During the press conference [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2rC9bWmoQw], which officially welcomed the organization to the WHL, one of the topics that came up was the Vees' future rivalry with the Kelowna Rockets. Even speaking about this potential rivalry was enough to fire up Fraser, who said, "I really want to kick Kelowna's butt". As for Harbinson, he is looking forward to rekindling a rivalry that was one of the best back in the early days of the BCHL. "I think, just a little fun, right? Talking about rivalries, here in Penticton in the BC Hockey League, our rivalry with Vernon goes back to the 50s and 60s. Now, obviously, we've moved out of the BCHL, and we're hopeful to rekindle some old rivalries. I mentioned that three of the first four Junior programs in British Columbia were Penticton, Kelowna and Kamloops. We'll have to build our program where we can compete with these guys, and it's a natural rivalry down the road here. Basically, it's less than an hour away to Kelowna, and the Kelowna Rockets are one of the storied CHL Western iconic franchises. They're gonna be the host of the Memorial Cup [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/latest-news/kelowna-rockets-selected-as-hosts-of-the-2026-memorial-cup] next year. So what a way to kind of start off and kick off our time in the Western Hockey League, with our home opener with the Rockets." Shifting to this season, about a month and a half before the official announcement, reports started circulating about Penticton joining the WHL. Once the reports became public, Harbinson had a meeting with the players to discuss the organization's future plans. Instead of sulking, the players took it upon themselves to finish the campaign strong and, in the end, claimed yet another Ron Boileau Trophy, which is awarded to the regular season champions. "It's pretty hard to keep a secret. Things started leaking out even though things weren't finalized about a month ago. So, I had a conversation with my team at that point, and I think our guys have done a tremendous job. They've done a really good job of staying the course, staying on task. All our players, you know, one thing our program has been known for over the years is the amount of player placement. We've done a good job of moving players to the next level, and that's going to be the same here. We talked to our guys. There's a certain amount of guys that are going to be back with us next year, that we were able to list, or we're going to negotiate their rights out of Westen Hockey League teams. Then there's other guys that are going on to the NCAA, and then there'll be that other group that maybe can't come along with us, and we will make sure that they have homes. They're all very good players, so there's going to be a desire for teams to go after them. Everyone will be taken care of in the end, but right now, our goal is to win a championship, just like every other year. Nothing's changed." With their final BCHL regular season now complete, Penticton's focus shifts to the playoffs, where they are one of the favourites to capture yet another Fred Page Cup. The Vees lost just eight times in regulation this season while posting a goal differential of +74. For Harbinson, while he knows making it to another Fred Page Cup will not be easy, he is confident that his team have what it takes to make their final BCHL playoff run special. "We've had a real tough time with injury, so we got to try to get healthy and stay healthy throughout the playoffs and then just be consistent. I think we've got a little bit of everything. We've got good size on our back end. We've got solid goaltending. You know, every night, it seems like a different line is contributing offensively. We just need to stay consistent with the process. We've been to the final three years in a row. Went back-to-back and then lost last year in the final. Like I said, this is a pretty special time for us. 1961 to now is one for long, long time to be in that league, and we want one last run at the championship." In the end, the decision to bring Penticton to the WHL will benefit not just the city but the entire league. The Vees have been one of the best-run organizations in the BCHL for years and have assembled a staff that should help them become competitive sooner rather than later. Ultimately, with Harbinson leading the way, Penticton's future in the WHL looks very bright. Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. 2025 WHL Playoffs Daily Recap: March 28 [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/latest-news/2025-whl-playoffs-daily-recap-march-28] The Hockey News Predicts The 2025 WHL Playoffs [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/latest-news/the-hockey-news-predicts-the-2025-whl-playoffs] 2025 WHL Playoffs Preview: 4) Lethbridge Hurricanes Versus 5) Brandon Wheat Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/game-day/2025-whl-playoffs-preview-4-lethbridge-hurricanes-versus-5-brandon-wheat-kings] 2025 WHL Playoffs Preview: 4) Prince George Cougars Versus 5) Portland Winterhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/whl/latest-news/2025-whl-playoffs-preview-4-prince-george-cougars-versus-5-portland-winterhawks] The Hockey News [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/50c585cd-79fd-4443-8ebc-616b2c727fcd.jpeg] The Hockey News
