Winnipeg Ice

The Winnipeg Ice were a major junior ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and competing in the Western Hockey League. The team played its home games at the Wayne Fleming Arena on the campus of the University of Manitoba which was expanded to 2,000 seats. The franchise, previously owned by the Chynoweth family since 1995, transferred ownership on April 27, 2017 to Winnipeg entrepreneur Greg Fettes and hockey executive Matt Cockell. The duo participated in their first WHL Draft on Thursday, May 4, 2017, where they acquired 10 new draft picks for the team. The new Kootenay Ice logo was released on Monday, May 1, 2017. This fresh look signifies a fresh start for the Ice. Posted articles indicate that the team may possibly be relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba over the next few years.https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/weekly-sports-league-and-franchise-report/n-5420529
The relocation to Winnipeg for the 2019-20 season was confirmed on January 29, 2019, at a press conference in Cranbrook. As part of the same press conference it was announced that the owner of the team has also purchased the Winnipeg Blues of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The move of the team will be part of a larger economic investment, a 4,500 seat arena, a hockey academy, and several partially cover outdoor rinks which can be used for outdoor minor hockey tournaments, will be the hockey related portion of a 20 acre sports, recreation, and commercial expansion located on the southwest side of the city of Winnipeg. It was announced that the current logo and nickname will be retained. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/owners-confirm-kootenay-ice-move-to-winnipeg-505042732.html
A failure to construct a new arena for the team, a condition the league required in the move from Cranbrook, British Columbia, ultimately led to the team being sold and relocated to Wenatchee, Washington for the 2023–24 season.
==History==
The franchise was founded in 1996 as the Edmonton Ice and moved to Cranbrook in 1998. The Ice won the Memorial Cup in 2002 and also participated in 2000, after having won the league championship.
The move of the Ice to Cranbrook resulted in the folding of the local Junior A powerhouse Cranbrook Colts and possibly the entire troubled Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League that the Colts were the top team in. All of the remaining five RMJHL franchises from the Kootenays dropped to the Junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League within years of the Ice coming to the region.
On June 16, 2023, the team was sold to David White of the Shoot the Puck Foundation, and would relocate to Wenatchee, Washington for the 2023–24 WHL season, where they will be known as the Wenatchee Wild.
==Season-by-season record==
Season 	GP	W 	L 	T 	OL	GF 	GA 	Pts	Finish 	Playoffs
1996–97	72	14	56	2 	- 	231	295	30 	5th Central	Out of playoffs
1997–98	72	17	49	6 	- 	242	328	40 	4th Central	Out of playoffs
1998–99	72	30	35	7 	- 	245	276	67 	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
1999–00	72	44	14	11	3 	275	200	102	2nd Central	Won Championship; Lost Memorial Cup
2000–01	72	45	17	4 	6 	286	213	100	2nd Central	Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2001–02	72	38	27	7 	0 	276	223	83 	2nd B.C. 	Won Championship and Memorial Cup
2002–03	72	36	25	6 	5 	234	202	83 	3rd B.C. 	Lost Western Conference semi-final
2003–04	72	32	30	7 	3 	183	200	74 	4th B.C. 	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2004–05	72	47	15	7 	3 	218	137	104	1st B.C. 	Lost Western Conference final
2005–06	72	45	23	1 	3 	233	177	94 	3rd B.C. 	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2006–07	72	49	17	3 	3 	267	189	104	2nd Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2007–08	72	42	22	5 	3 	229	214	92 	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2008–09	72	35	29	2 	6 	220	224	78 	3rd Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2009–10	72	43	24	3 	2 	252	215	91 	2nd Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2010–11	72	46	21	1 	4 	272	218	97 	3rd Central	Won Championship; Lost Memorial Cup semifinal
2011–12	72	36	26	6 	4 	222	201	82 	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2012–13	72	35	35	2 	0 	203	221	72 	5th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2013–14	72	39	28	2 	3 	235	209	83 	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2014–15	72	37	31	1 	3 	245	248	78 	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2015–16	72	12	53	6 	1 	155	320	31 	6th Central	Did not qualify
2016–17	72	14	46	10	2 	177	335	40 	6th Central	Did not qualify
2017–18	72	27	38	5 	2 	215	275	61 	4th Central	Did not qualify
2018–19	68	13	45	7 	3 	181	324	36 	6th Central	Did not qualify
2019–20	63	38	24	1 	0 	231	207	82 	2nd East 	Playoffs Cancelled
2020-21	24	18	5 	1 	0 	100	70 	37 	2nd Hub 	Playoffs cancelled
2021–22	68	53	10	3 	2 	317	152	111	1st East 	Lost Eastern Conference final
2022–23	68	57	10	1 	0 	325	177	115	1st East 	Lost Finals
==NHL alumni==
{|
|-----
| valign="top" |
*Riley Armstong
*Dean Arsene
*Dan Blackburn
*Zdenek Blatny
*Mike Comrie
*Nigel Dawes
| valign="top" |
*Brennan Evans
*Mike Green
*Stanislav Gron
*Jason Jaffray
*Steve McCarthy
| valign="top" |
*Ryan McGill
*John Negrin
*Tomas Plihal
*Jarret Stoll
*Brett Sutter
| valign="top" |
*Marek Svatos
*Jaroslav Svoboda
*Matt Walker
*Kyle Wanvig
*Jeremy Yablonski
</td></tr></table>
==Team records==
Team records for a single season	Team records for a single season	Team records for a single season
Statistic 	Total 	Season
Most points 	104 	2004–05; 2006–07
Most wins 	49 	2006–07
Most goals for 	286 	2000–01
Least goals for 	183 	2003–04
Least goals against 	137 	2004–05
Most goals against 	276 	1998–99
Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season
Statistic 	Player 	Total 	Season
Most goals 	Nigel Dawes 	50 	2004–05
Most assists 	Jarret Stoll 	66 	2000–01
Most points 	Jarret Stoll 	106 	2000–01
Most points, rookie 	Tomas Plihal 	86 	2001–02
Most points, defenceman 	Michael Busto 	63 	2006–07
Best GAA (goalie) 	Jeff Glass 	1.76 	2004–05
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played 	Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played 	Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played 	Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played
==See also==
*Cranbrook Colts
==External links==
*Kootenay Ice website
==References==
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Western Hockey League (junior) team
Category:Established in 1998
Category:Disestablished in 2023