The West Kelowna Warriors could have a new address by next season if their proposed move to North Delta is approved.
At the B.C. Hockey League's semi-annual meeting last week in Richmond, Warriors owner Mark Cheyne filed a franchise transfer application to move the defending RBC Cup-champion Warriors to North Delta to play in the 1,984-seat Sungod Arena.
Cheyne, who has owned the team for 11 years, ever since the franchise moved to West Kelowna from Langley, has tried unsuccessfully to find a local owner willing to keep the team in its current location. Cheyne has a tentative deal in place with a group based in the Lower Mainland, subject to league approval.
BCHL commissioner John Grisdale said the BCHL's franchise committee is now tasked with looking into the background of the proposed new owner and will examine the viability of Sungod Arena, which was built in 1973.
"There's no timeline of when all that stuff could be done - they're going to finish their season in West Kelowna," said Grisdale. "You don't want to move from one market to another and be worse off. That's why we've got to be really careful what we're doing."
Although the BCHL website no longer tracks team attendance, last season the Warriors ranked 12th-worst out of 17, averaging crowds of 957 at home games for what was a junior A national championship-calibre team.
By comparison, two of the teams with the lowest attendance figures were in Lower Mainland markets. The Surrey Eagles averaged just 689 per game in 2015-16 (15th worst) and the Coquitlam Express averaged 522 (17th). At the other end of the scale were the Wenatchee Wild (2,924 per game) and the Chilliwack Chiefs (2,454). The Prince George Spruce Kings averaged 999 last season.
If the Warriors end up in North Delta, Grisdale said the league would have to realign its divisions and move one team from the Mainland Division to the Interior. That could potentially impact the Spruce Kings, who made the move from the Interior to the Mainland Division in 2012.
"None of that has been discussed." said Grisdale. "Wenatchee has always been interested in the Interior Division. It is our strongest division and they are a strong club.
"The position of the Spruce Kings governors (to remain in the Mainland Division) has been well-received. They were gracious enough to make the switch to try to balance off the travel in the three divisions and there's been no indication they want to move."
Spruce Kings president Tom Bohmer attended the meetings and made it clear the team prefers to remain in the Mainland Division, which reduces the amount of travel the team has to undertake.
"I'm quite content with our team in the Mainland Division, I don't have any appetite to move back to the Interior and I will work to keep us in the Mainland Division," said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes. "The travel is better for us and that division is better-suited to our style of play in the North here.
"They will ask teams if they're interested in moving and that bridge won't be crossed until the move from West Kelowna to Delta is approved by the governors. They're going to take a couple weeks to go through all the information and look at the offer from the North Delta group to purchase the team."
The league also discussed the possibility of Nanaimo getting a Western Hockey League franchise and what the implications would be for the Nanaimo Clippers. The Kootenay Ice franchise is for sale and could relocate from Cranbrook to Nanaimo as early as next season. That hinges on whether a March 11 referendum to build a new 5,700-seat arena in the Vancouver Island city passes.
WHL commissioner Rob Robison told the Victoria Times Colonist in December the WHL "remains very interested in the city of Nanaimo as a potential market in the future for a WHL club. Should the city of Nanaimo approve the construction of a new facility which meets WHL standards, the WHL will seek the necessary approvals to deliver a WHL team either through relocation of an existing franchise or expansion."
If the Ice is on the move for next season, the team would become the prime tenant at Frank Crane Arena, where the Clippers currently play, until a new rink is ready. That would open up the possibility the Clippers franchise, which has operated in Nanaimo for 41 years, could move to Campbell River, which currently has a junior B team.
"All that stuff is up in the air," said Grisdale.
The league also approved a change in roster size for each of its 17 teams, from 22 players to 23 players, effective next season. Hawes said that will help geographically-challenged teams like the Spruce Kings, who lack easy access to affiliated junior B players in the event they are needed as injury replacements.
"That's something I've been kind of pushing for years here to get back to a 23-man roster," said Hawes, whose team begins a three-game roadtrip tonight in Merritt. "Our closest affiliate team is the major midgets (Cariboo Cougars) and we don't take those players if they're playing on the weekend and the junior B team is (the 100 Mile House Wranglers)."
In other BCHL news, the league has approved a three-year extension for the Chilliwack Chiefs to host the annual Bauer Showcase. Since 2012, all 17 teams have converged on Chilliwack for one weekend in late September, giving college and pro scouts a chance to see all the teams in action. Chilliwack's central location and the availability of a multitude of dressing rooms at Prospera Centre make it an ideal venue for the Showcase event.
