Photo credit: RocketFAN

By Regan Bartel

Dan Near talks about several issues

RocketFAN speaks with the head of the WHL

Oct 3, 2025 | 7:00 AM

The WHL Commissioner will be back in Kelowna in May for the Memorial Cup, but Dan Near didn’t hesitate to be in the Okanagan last weekend. First, it was Penticton’s long-anticipated WHL home opener, then a night later, a trip up the highway to watch the Vees face their brand-new arch rival, the Kelowna Rockets.

“It’s pretty special,” Near said of the Okanagan doubleheader. “To celebrate hockey up and down around the lake and to have a back-to-back this weekend, I thought they [Penticton] did a great job. Seeing a full house on opening night was important, of course, but they did a great job with the presentation, the merchandise, and the ceremonies. It’s clear they’re a fitting member of the league, and they’re competitive too. We had a couple of good games so far.”

The arrival of the Penticton Vees has been the headline story of the fall, and Near said keeping the franchise’s name intact was never really in doubt.

“You know, that’s a good question,” he said when asked if a change was ever considered. “We never really imagined it going a different way. Some of that relates to the tradition, history, heritage, and what that community has done. They’ve won national championships, they’ve had a great history of players and alumni who have run through there. The idea of bringing that franchise name and the Vees into our league is outstanding. Really excited about it.”

For Near, honoring heritage is a strength, not a challenge. “I think our league is loaded with communities just like Penticton, and the idea of honoring that heritage is really important. We respect hockey at all levels.”

The lost art of true sports storytelling

Why athlete stories should never fade

Jul 22, 2025

One call, one commitment

Luke Schenn's call, Mazden Leslie's answer

Jul 19, 2025

Is the NCAA grass really greener?

WHL's grit and grind is unmatched

Jul 10, 2025

That heritage also fuels rivalries, something the WHL Commissioner got to see up close when the Rockets and Vees squared off in Kelowna.

“Just before we went on the air, you were talking to me about the travel benefits,” he said. “Having an operating model where you can play rivalry games like that is really valuable for us. The idea of these communities will have something to dislike about one another, it’ll be a lot of fun.”

And that fun was already on display, with two close games to open the season between the Rockets and Vees.

Expansion teams often start at the bottom, but Near said Penticton was given the resources to be competitive right away.

“If they finished 6 and 62, that would be terrible for the league,” he said. “It’s really important to come out and have a chance to make the playoffs and a chance to be successful. The model there, whether it was the Vegas Golden Knights or the Seattle Kraken, has been built so that they can build a foundation and be competitive within a few years. You can see they’ve got a good product that they’re putting on the ice. They’re gonna be competitive. They’re gonna figure the WHL out fairly quickly.”

The commissioner also pointed to the WHL’s reach beyond its markets, noting the Rockets’ recent trip to Whitehorse to play Medicine Hat as an example of what the league can do.

“The idea of being able to inspire young hockey players and communities across Western Canada is important to us, right, because we’re the pinnacle, we’re what everybody wants to be on their path to the National Hockey League,” Near explained. “You try and leave an impression, you try and make an impact on somebody, and that’s really what this league’s about because somebody did it for you at one point and the expectation is pay it forward.”

The NCAA option has become a bigger part of the conversation around junior hockey, but Near remains confident in the WHL’s role.

“I don’t know that I’m sitting here with a real specific hope,” he admitted. “What is going to take some time is for things to normalize and understand, at the end of the day, what is the best trajectory or path for the individual player. We think that we have a good program. You come here if you want to be a pro hockey player.”

He pointed to leadership as proof.

“Sixty percent of captains in the National Hockey League played in the CHL. It’s only about 45 percent of players overall, so we over-indexed as captains. A big part of that is the 19 year old season. You learn a lot. You’re a leader. You play in all situations. You’re wearing a letter. When there’s adversity, you’re the one that’s got to stand in there. Guys that leave earlier may be great hockey players, but I have questions about whether they’ll be as well equipped.”

That 19-year-old season is also connected to a new NHL rule that begins in 2026-27, allowing teams to send one CHL player to the AHL.

“There’s been a lot of talk about that,” Near said. “Whatever clarifies is what really is in the CBA is that the NHL would come back to us, the CHL leagues, and negotiate an outcome there. We all acknowledge there might be a handful of players who are ready to spend their 19 year old season in the American Hockey League, but I highly doubt it’s 32. I’ve never heard a manager at the NHL level say, ‘Wow, that guy stayed in the WHL too long.’ It’s never happened.”

And when it comes to the Vees, he didn’t hesitate.

“Tremendous hockey history there, hockey heritage, and the idea that they’re now joining our league, I think it’s a great fit for all of us.”