Penticton Vees (WHL)

For other uses, see Penticton Vees.

The Penticton Vees are a Junior ice hockey franchise that will debut in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2025–26 WHL season as an expansion team. The team will play its home games in the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton as part of the B.C. Division of the Western Conference.

Penticton Vees
City	Penticton, British Columbia
League	Western Hockey League
Conference	Western
Division	B.C.
Founded	2025 (2025)
Home arena	South Okanagan Events Centre
Colours	Black, blue, and white
Owner(s)	Graham Fraser Mark Scheifele Mike Richter Joe Walters Gord Kovacik
General manager	Fred Harbinson
Head coach	Fred Harbinson

Organization

The franchise is operated by part-owner Graham Fraser, who also is the majority owner of the BCHL Penticton Vees since June 2008. The other ownership partners are Mark Scheifele, Mike Richter, Joe Walters and Gord Kovacik.^[1] The team planned to have the same operations staff as the BCHL franchise, including head coach and general manager Fred Harbinson.^[2]

The team will build its 50-player roster in part through participating in the 2025 WHL Expansion Draft, 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, 2025 WHL U.S. Priority Draft, and 2025 CHL Import Draft.^[3] The expansion draft will take place on 7 May 2025, followed by the first round of the Prospects Draft the same day. The Vees were awarded fourth overall pick, as determined by a lottery. The U.S. Priority Draft will take place on 8 May, followed by the second round of the Prospects Draft. The Vees were awarded first pick in the second round.^[4]

The team employs a staff of 11 scouts assigned to specific regions in Western Canada and the United States, including: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Southern Alberta, Mainland British Columbia, Vancouver Island, Minnesota and California.^[5] Two scouts are assigned to cover the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL).^[6]

Arena

The South Okanagan Events Centre is a 95,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility with 3 ice rinks, 5,000 seats and 27 luxury seats.^[7] It opened in 2008 and is owned by the City of Penticton and managed by Oak View Group.^[7]

History

The team traces its history to 1961 when the Penticton Jr. Vees were a founding member of the Okanagan-Mainline Junior "A" Hockey League (OMJHL).^[8] Before joining the WHL as an expansion team in 2025, the Penticton Vees had been the name of a British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) franchise from 2004 to 2025.^[2] With the establishment of the WHL franchise, the BCHL franchise was expected to relocate to another city.^[9]