Photo credit: RocketFAN

By Regan Bartel

Vees will make on-ice debut in 2025-26

Penticton Vees joins WHL as expansion team

Mar 24, 2025 | 12:58 PM

After 18 years of being a thorn in the side of the Western Hockey League to acquire top junior players, the premiere franchise in the BCHL based in Penticton is now the league’s newest expansion team. 

The Penticton Vees, located in the south Okanagan just a 40-minute drive from Kelowna, will begin play in the 2025-2026 season. 

“We were happy in the BC Hockey League,” said Vees owner Graham Fraser at a news conference. “We had 18 great years there, but times change. We have such a beautiful building and such a loyal fan base, they deserve that. We have earned the right to do that.” 

And indeed, they have. The Vees will play in the BC Division, joining rivals like the Kelowna Rockets, Kamloops Blazers, Vancouver Giants, Victoria Royals, and Prince George Cougars. 

Their first-ever WHL game will be at home—at the South Okanagan Events Centre—on September 26th. 

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The Vees will play four home and four away games against the Rockets, but will play three at home and three on the road against the other four BC-based teams. 

For Fraser and his group, persistence paid off. 

“This has been quite a journey,” Fraser added. “The hockey world changed in November with the NCAA changes. What are we going to do? Let’s call Bruce Hamilton [Kelowna Rockets GM] to see if there is any potential in the WHL. Bruce took the call. We went up [to Kelowna] and sat with Bruce and he said, ‘well you guys aren’t getting in next year.’ Well, that’s off the table. The heck with Bruce. I will reach out to [WHL Commissioner] Dan Near and see what he has to say. Dan said, ‘well sure, but we aren’t ready for expansion.’ So, there were two doors closed. We thought we would put a proposal together, and we’ll send it to them, and see if we can whet their appetite.” 

Between that first meeting in late October, something changed, and the Vees made headway in becoming the league’s 23rd franchise. 

“I don’t think it hurts us at all, I think it enhances us for travel,” Bruce Hamilton told RocketFAN. “It probably takes eight hotel nights off the calendar for us, and significant travel to play someone that close. When you look at the wear and tear on our players, and the virtual cost of operating, it makes a big difference.” 

The WHL will hold an expansion draft for the Vees, similar to what occurred when the Edmonton Oil Kings joined the league in 2007. Teams will have the option to protect certain players, expose others, or make trades with the Vees if necessary. 

“We have been given the opportunity to have an expansion draft, the US Draft, the regular draft [WHL Prospects Draft], and the European Draft,” said GM and Head Coach Fred Harbinson. “There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes that we are getting prepared for in May and June.” 

The Vees’ first-ever WHL game will be against their newest rival – the Kelowna Rockets. 

“We ease into everything,” Harbinson said with a smile. “The host of the Memorial Cup, right…let’s get right into it.” 

Fraser added this comment to stoke the rivalry even more. 

“I really wanna kick Kelowna’s butt…Bruce,” he said with a grin.