The Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League will depart Cranbrook, B.C. and relocate to Winnipeg, MB ahead of the start of the 2019/2020 regular season according to league sources.
WHL officials confirmed the move to CTV Winnipeg on Monday and an official announcement has been slated for Tuesday.
The franchise has ties to Manitoba as it's owned by Gregg Fettes, a Winnipeg-based businessman, and the team’s general manager is Matt Cockell, a former University of Manitoba goaltender.
The team is expected to play its home games at a new arena in south Winnipeg.
Winnipeg has been without a WHL franchise since 1984 when the Warriors vacated the Manitoba capital and moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
The Kootenay Ice, originally known as the Cranbrook Ice, have been a fixture of southeastern British Columbia since 1996. In their 22 years in Cranbrook, the team won a Memorial Cup and three WHL championships.
With files from CTV Winnipeg
