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Cold Lake can cheer on two Jr. A teams next season

Cold Lake will be home to two Jr. A teams next year.
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The City of Cold Lake signed agreements with both the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) and the Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPAH) for next season.

Cold Lake will be home to two Jr. A teams next year.

The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) announced on July 5 they signed a multi-year user agreement with the city to play in the Energy Centre, after parting ways with the Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPHA) in May.

"We're very excited about it, because it's such a great facility. It's perfect is what it is," expressed Ron White, president and commissioner for the WSHL.

He added, "The offering of the ability to have in-rink advertising, we would be able to sell alcohol, the use of a dedicated locker room, coaches office, and things like that at the Jr. A level that you need to have. Not only to entice the community to come out and support the team, but you also need to have those perks so the players really feel like they're being taken care of."

Based in the United States, the WSHL first expanded north of the border last year, with the WPHA being formed as the Canadian division of the league.

The Cold Lake Wings, along with the Edson Aeros, Hinton Wildcats, and Meadow Lake Mustangs, were the four teams in the WPHA.

The new team won't be associated the Cold Lake Wings, after the WSHL and the WPHA severed ties.

According to White, the United States-based league and the WPHA went their separate ways "because of violations to our bylaws and constitutions."

Derek Prue, expansion director for the WPHA, said the costs of being part of the WSHL were partially behind why they decided to explore other options.

"The business model just became too onerous, especially with the franchise fees to be paid as well, and it just ends up being too much for some teams to handle."

Now, both organizations will call the Energy Centre home, with the WSHL hitting the ice in the new arena, and the WPHA in the Imperial Oil Place arena.

"Our position is we have a building that we're open to various user groups wanting to utilize it," explained Mayor Craig Copeland. "If members of Portage College want to come play here, we're open to that. If there's a hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) that Bonnyville plays in, if there was a team that wants to come to Cold Lake, we're open to that discussion too. We have a big top, and we'll welcome anybody to come and play in our arena."

White confirmed a new name, coaching staff, and a general manager would be announced shortly, now that the agreement has been signed.

It was due to their familiarity with the area that White said the WSHL pursued the possibility of coming back to Cold Lake.

"We think it's a great town. There's a very nice group of people that we've met there over the last year and a half... I think it's a great location for a team," he expressed.

City council reviewed the agreement during an in-camera session on Tuesday, July 2, and decided to proceed.

In addition to Cold Lake, so far the WSHL has confirmed four other teams including the Hinton Timberwolves, Edson Aeros, Barrhead, and Meadow Lake.

In June, the WPHA announced they have joined the Greater Metro Hockey League (GMHL), an independent group based out of Ontario.

"We just thought the GMHL has a better fit as a sanctioning body for our organization," Prue noted. "The WSHL fees were just making it inequitable for teams to operate, and they continued to go up. This was a better fit, and it's also a Canadian-based organization."

Prue confirmed the Wings are currently mid-way through a three-year lease with the city.

Along with Cold Lake, teams under the WPHA banner include the Slave Lake Icedogs, along with clubs in Enoch Cree Nation, AB and Rosetown, SK.

The league also had a team set to play in Hinton, the Wildcats. However, the Town of Hinton recently signed a multi-year deal with the WSHL to have their team, the Timberwolves, play instead.

The news prompted the WPHA to file a legal court application against Hinton in June saying they broke a previous contract that allowed the Wildcats to play at the Dr. Duncan Murray Recreation Centre. Due to limited ice time availability, the arena can only house on team.

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