If You Can't Beat Them...

You may have heard the reports today that the BCHL's Penticton Vees may be on the move. They won't be leaving Penticton, though, but they are making a jump up a level in the junior hockey world as there are swirling reports that the Vees will join the WHL next season. Before we get too deep into this discussion, I'll point out that no one from the Vees franchise, the WHL, or anyone with deep connections on either side are saying this is true, but this may be in discussion. After all, where there's smoke, there's usually fire. There have been Junior-A teams who have made the leap from that level to Major Junior before, so would Penticton work as a WHL franchise? Let's find out.

We'll start with the WHL's side of the coin as they're ultimately going to have to approve or deny this report. They did nothing to paint a clearer picture today as a league spokesperson told The Province's Steve Ewen "that they 'discussed a variety of topics, including many aspects around the WHL's future plans,' but also maintained that 'no final decisions were made'" at their recent Board of Governors meeting in Las Vegas. That's neither a confirmation nor a denial, but it sounds like Penticton could have been one of the discussion points.

Penticton's story might be one of survival as the recent deal in the NCAA to allow junior-aged players to join NCAA programs would make the Junior-A club less relevant whne it comes to having players reach higher levels. The NCAA has put their chips into the CHL basket because the players who don't get drafted are normally looking for additional hockey opportunities, and NCAA no longer has to compete for the same players. Instead, players can play both with the NCAA's ruling, pushing the need for Junior-A players at the NCAA level lower.

Players are realizing that their paths also improve if they play in the CHL-NCAA pipeline. While the NHL will still draft from the junior leagues across Canada, players who aren't drafted now have a legitimate shot at landing on an NCAA roster where they can get their education while still keeping their professional hockey dreams alive. With less talent looking at the Junior-A route as a viable option, the level of talent at that level will begin to fall, and that will affect those players who want a shot at skating for an NCAA team.

It should be noted that the last WHL expansion team was the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2007-08, and they paid a reported sum of $4 million to join the league. As Ewen notes in his article, "Two league sources have said that along with an expansion fee, the Vees will have to pay a sum to the Kelowna Rockets, since they’re within Kelowna’s 100-kilometre catchment area" with one of the sources saying that fee could be as high as $1 million. I wasn't aware that Penticton's owner, Graham Fraser, had that kind of money, but he does own Flickie and Suitcase Charlie Films so it seems he could be well-funded as he's been involved in a number of philanthrophy efforts in British Columbia. Perhaps the fees won't be hard to cover.

It would probably help if someone asked the Vees if they were looking at this option, and it seems the Penticton Herald did that as Vees vice-president of business operations Fraser Rodgers wrote in an email, "Thanks for reaching out, but we don't have a comment. Just remain focused on this weekend and the season ahead."

Call me crazy, but with everything being as hush-hush as it seems, this Vees-to-the-Dub feels like it's on the verge of happening. I imagine that there are a pile fo details that are still being worked out, but having another franchise 62kms south of Kelowna makes road trips easier to schedule for opposing teams. There's less travel for a three-game weekend involving Kamloops, Kelowna, and Penticton, and that cuts costs for eyes-on-the-bottom-line WHL teams. It also balances a WHL Western Conference as BC Division would have six teams to match the six-team US Division.

We'll have to wait for an official announcement down the road by the WHL, but potentially announcing this expansion in the lead-up to the Kelowna-hosted Memorial Cup this year would be a great way to welcome the Penticton Vees to the league. Not to drag out multiple clichés at once, but it seems there's fire under the smoke we're seeing, and the Penticton Vees, after walking away from Hockey Canada, will potentially return to being under their oversight in the WHL. After all, if you can't beat them... you know the rest.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!