Dear Warriors Faithful,
In this unprecedented period of time, we want to update you on the status of the team and upcoming hockey season. The roster is coming together nicely. Our ownership, coaching staff, and management have worked diligently to assemble a highly-competitive group come September. We feel we have improved in every position. We are older, bigger, deeper, and more skilled than last season. We can’t wait to see this year’s squad all together at main camp kicking off September 9th.
The BCHL Regular Season is slated to start Dec 4th and runs into late April, with playoffs planned for May/June. We have yet to be notified if there will be an arena capacity limitation or not, but I can assure you that our season ticket holders and billet families will get top priority to attend our home games. We will share this information as soon as we receive it. In Sept/Oct/Nov, we are planning an Exhibition Challenge Series with the three other Okanagan teams. These games will be televised, but unfortunately not open to fans. More information on this series will be announced in the coming weeks. Off the ice, we’ve spent some time improving our facilities for the team. We’ve added a gym and other amenities to the Warriors dressing room in an effort to improve the player experience. We’ve also strengthened our hockey staff, adding Josh Gorges as Director of Player Development. Josh joins Head Coach Simon Ferguson, Assistant Coach Ayrton Nikkel, Goaltending Coach Chad Carter, and Video Coordinator Hugh Dunlop. Behind the scenes, we are very excited to bring back long-time Warriors Athletic Therapist Mike Bois and Warriors Alumni Jordan Todd as Strength & Conditioning Coach. In the community, we’ve tried our best to stay active and engaged.
We are introducing a Community Impact Fund to track our annual philanthropic contributions. During the pandemic, we have donated over $15,000 to West Kelowna non-profit beneficiaries. We have worked to stay connected with the business community and are grateful for the numerous corporate partners that have stood by our side during this time of uncertainty. If we ask anything of our fans at this time, please support those businesses who continue to support us. We all need to support each other during this unusual year. To our loyal fans, we will do everything we can to keep you engaged with the team. We will have game highlights and plenty of unique player content on our website and social media platforms.
Our season ticket holders will be receiving Alliance cards, which will grant discounts at our corporate partner locations throughout our community. Feel free to stop by our office and chat Warriors hockey with any of our staff. Hope to see you in “OUR HOUSE” soon!
Chris Laurie Team President
