OT: Winnipeg ICE sold - Moving to Wenatchee, Washington renamed Wenatchee Wild

[Guardian17]

WATCH | Highlights ICE 6 Winterhawks 3 – Winnipeg Ice

winnipegice.ca

 

[Mooche]

Soooooooo happy with picking up Ostapchuk.

Was a major stand-out to me at the Juniors. Plays a heavy, no non-sense game and really utilizes his size well.

Stoked to see what he can do with the Ice on the push.

 

[Guardian17]

Ostapchuk, 19, from St. Albert, Alberta joins the ICE after winning his second consecutive Gold Medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship earlier this week in Halifax.

He has played 153 regular season games registering 96 points (48 goals and 48 assists) along with 118 penalty minutes over the past five WHL seasons with the Giants. Ostapchuk also registered 23 points (seven goals and 16 assists) in 14 career WHL playoff games.

The 6’3”, 198 pound forward has 29 points (10 goals and 19 assists) along with 20 penalty minutes this season.

NEWS | ICE acquire Ostapchuk – Winnipeg Ice

winnipegice.ca

 

[lanky]

This is BIG news for the Ice.

Is it normal to pay that steep of a price for a top notch rental?

I wonder where he'll slot into the lineup. I think he played C for Vancouver and W for team Canada.

Another question: does this hurt the Ice for their playoff push a year from now? They just used up a lot of trade chips.

 

[superdeluxe]

This is BIG news for the Ice.

Is it normal to pay that steep of a price for a top notch rental?

I wonder where he'll slot into the lineup. I think he played C for Vancouver and W for team Canada.

Another question: does this hurt the Ice for their playoff push a year from now? They just used up a lot of trade chips.

Everyone is going all in. You see the haul for Zellweger that Kamloops sent?

 

[snowkiddin]

This is BIG news for the Ice.

Is it normal to pay that steep of a price for a top notch rental?

I wonder where he'll slot into the lineup. I think he played C for Vancouver and W for team Canada.

Another question: does this hurt the Ice for their playoff push a year from now? They just used up a lot of trade chips.

They overpaid pretty significantly but it’s a move they had to make to keep pace with Seattle. They elected to not do much last year when they had the chance so I’m good with going all-in this year.

Don’t have much left to trade but probably need another 2-3 trades to keep up.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Huge move by the ICE, but it is a very short term rental move because Ostapchuk will be going pro in the fall.

I am curious as to the ownership calculus behind the move. Before yesterday, the ICE were already WHL championship contenders. With yesterday's trades, it looks like it is becoming mainly a two horse race between Winnipeg and Seattle, with Portland, Red Deer, Saskatoon and Kamloops having an outside chance. Maybe Moose Jaw if they make a big move.

So the pressure is on for the ICE to win it all this season, because they have shipped out so many first rounders now that the near future is looking pretty bleak once the current crop moves on. I guess they can recoup some of those picks by trading Zach Benson to a contending team in a year or two.

But the point is this... from a business standpoint, is it worth it to go all in by sacrificing your team two or three years down the line? Or does it make sense to hold on to some first rounders and remain a competitive team even if you don't necessarily win a championship? Because while there might be some ICE excitement this spring, which itself may be diminished by a deep Jets playoff run, it could be awfully tough to sell tickets if a barren post-championship ICE club is reduced to winning 10 games in a season or whatever. I mean, it's tough enough for them to fill the place now with an unbelievably stacked team, what's it going to be like when the ICE are in last place and getting blown out every night?

As an ICE fan I'm happy that the team is going for the gusto, but there could be some very quiet nights at the ICE Cave in a couple years' time.

 

[jetsmooseice]

As to yesterday's game, I was there with a big gaggle of kids so I wasn't able to pay super-close attention to the game but from what I did see, Portland looked a bit underwhelming relative to their position in the standings. Not sure if that was the bus legs or what, but the ICE didn't seem to have too much trouble with breakouts and maintaining possession in the Portland end. The Benson line was spectacular once again as #9 got a hat trick. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Zach Benson alone is worth the price of admission.

Nice to see McClennon back from injury and the new guys Armstrong and Latimer in the lineup, strengthening what is an already loaded lineup. I'm hoping that Wyatt Wilson will be in the lineup soon, I didn't realize he was going to be out for this long. And I'm also hoping that we will get our first look at Zach Ostapchuk soon! Hopefully this Wednesday in the big matchup, and possible championship series preview, against Seattle.

It was pretty cool to see a whole bunch of Portland fans at the game, there are apparently six Winterhawks with Manitoba roots so that accounted for some of the Portland fans, and according to an ICE staffer there were some fans from Oregon travelling with the team which is pretty cool... you have to be a devoted fan to do the prairie bus road trip in January

 

[lanky]

It just seems like the assets would have been better spent on a guy that could return next year and graduate at the same time as Savoie and Geekie. I don't follow the league very closely, especially not the trade market, so I don't know how available a D+1 trade target might be.

Well Ostapchuk brings a playoff brand of hockey. I hope he fits in and has a great impact.

 

[jetsmooseice]

It just seems like the assets would have been better spent on a guy that could return next year and graduate at the same time as Savoie and Geekie. I don't follow the league very closely, especially not the trade market, so I don't know how available a D+1 trade target might be.

Well Ostapchuk brings a playoff brand of hockey. I hope he fits in and has a great impact.

It's starting to look like the ICE are going all in on this year. I thought they might try to squeeze out another year next season with the current core but I'm not sure that's going to be possible. They're going to have to move some of the current core in the next year or two just to get some first round draft picks back.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Huge move by the ICE, but it is a very short term rental move because Ostapchuk will be going pro in the fall.

I am curious as to the ownership calculus behind the move. Before yesterday, the ICE were already WHL championship contenders. With yesterday's trades, it looks like it is becoming mainly a two horse race between Winnipeg and Seattle, with Portland, Red Deer, Saskatoon and Kamloops having an outside chance. Maybe Moose Jaw if they make a big move.

So the pressure is on for the ICE to win it all this season, because they have shipped out so many first rounders now that the near future is looking pretty bleak once the current crop moves on. I guess they can recoup some of those picks by trading Zach Benson to a contending team in a year or two.

But the point is this... from a business standpoint, is it worth it to go all in by sacrificing your team two or three years down the line? Or does it make sense to hold on to some first rounders and remain a competitive team even if you don't necessarily win a championship? Because while there might be some ICE excitement this spring, which itself may be diminished by a deep Jets playoff run, it could be awfully tough to sell tickets if a barren post-championship ICE club is reduced to winning 10 games in a season or whatever. I mean, it's tough enough for them to fill the place now with an unbelievably stacked team, what's it going to be like when the ICE are in last place and getting blown out every night?

As an ICE fan I'm happy that the team is going for the gusto, but there could be some very quiet nights at the ICE Cave in a couple years' time.

It won't make a difference. They have lots of games with freebies and discounted tickets now with the club doing well. They will continue to do this when the club sucks. And this is in a tiny 2,000 seat arena with very limited revenue streams. If there is no traction on a new arena within a few years they will move.

 

[jetsmooseice]

It won't make a difference. They have lots of games with freebies and discounted tickets now with the club doing well. They will continue to do this when the club sucks. And this is in a tiny 2,000 seat arena with very limited revenue streams. If there is no traction on a new arena within a few years they will move.

In that light, you might as well go all in! I have to admit I was pretty surprised when the ICE had to keep going with free/discounted tickets right into the playoffs last season.

One other off-ice thing that is kind of interesting is that, since the Arena-Gate scandal broke, the Winnipeg Free Press has not written any ICE stories beyond one or two paragraph game and trade rundowns in the Sports Briefs column as far as I can tell. I also haven't noticed any ICE ads in the paper lately either. So even though the ICE just got a big win over a major Western Conference contender and followed it up with a massive trade, all it got in the paper was a few unattributed paragraphs.

It would be sad from an ICE fan standpoint if that journalistic misstep by the Free Press ruined their relationship with the team, because Mike Sawatzky was the only reporter in town who actually reported on the team in any meaningful way. All that's left if you want at least some idea of what's happening with the team is the 1290 pre game show. And that's useless for me half the time since I'm already at the arena when it comes on.

 

[Guardian17]

 

[jetsmooseice]

Barring any upsets, this is basically the WHL Championship Final preview. It should be a hell of a matchup. I know I can't wait.

Last year, as good as the ICE were, they simply couldn't handle the high-octane Edmonton Oil Kings. They just didn't have the defense they needed to shut Edmonton down. But it will be interesting to see how the ICE do against this season's other top contender.

I'm guessing Wyatt Wilson won't be in the lineup on Wednesday, which is too bad because like last season, they could still use a little defensive reinforcement. I would have expected him back on the ice by now. But a game vs. Seattle probably isn't the one to jump into after a prolonged stretch of time off to recover.

 

[lanky]

I hope I can find a stream tonight.

Would be cool to see Lambert in his WHL debut.

 

[jetsmooseice]

I hope I can find a stream tonight.

Would be cool to see Lambert in his WHL debut.

I expect he'll make more of an impact than he did with the Moose, I saw him at a game early on in the season and tbh I barely noticed him out there.

 

[jetsmooseice]

There is a BOGO ticket deal for tomorrow's game vs. Seattle, I just got an e-mail offer. I took a look online and there are still a lot of seats left. I find that surprising and somewhat discouraging, big matchup between the two top ranked junior teams in North America and they have to resort to a BOGO offer just to get a respectable crowd? It's not like tickets are that expensive to begin with. Hopefully the ICE can attract a big and noisy crowd for tomorrow night!

 

[Monkey D Luffy]

As to yesterday's game, I was there with a big gaggle of kids so I wasn't able to pay super-close attention to the game but from what I did see, Portland looked a bit underwhelming relative to their position in the standings. Not sure if that was the bus legs or what, but the ICE didn't seem to have too much trouble with breakouts and maintaining possession in the Portland end. The Benson line was spectacular once again as #9 got a hat trick. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Zach Benson alone is worth the price of admission.

Nice to see McClennon back from injury and the new guys Armstrong and Latimer in the lineup, strengthening what is an already loaded lineup. I'm hoping that Wyatt Wilson will be in the lineup soon, I didn't realize he was going to be out for this long. And I'm also hoping that we will get our first look at Zach Ostapchuk soon! Hopefully this Wednesday in the big matchup, and possible championship series preview, against Seattle.

It was pretty cool to see a whole bunch of Portland fans at the game, there are apparently six Winterhawks with Manitoba roots so that accounted for some of the Portland fans, and according to an ICE staffer there were some fans from Oregon travelling with the team which is pretty cool... you have to be a devoted fan to do the prairie bus road trip in January

I don't follow very closely but wouldn't it be worth it to sell out for a season to win a championship?

With Winnipeg being such a saturated market for hockey I would think a championship would be a must very soon.

 

[jetsmooseice]

I don't follow very closely but wouldn't it be worth it to sell out for a season to win a championship?

With Winnipeg being such a saturated market for hockey I would think a championship would be a must very soon.

That's a fair question. A championship would get the team a lot of attention, that's for sure. But on the other hand it could be very hard to sell tickets when the ICE are potentially facing a 10 win season two or three years from now once the current core is gone and there are no first rounders coming in to replace them. Not to mention the fact that such a scenario would also deprive the ICE of playoff revenue for a while.

On the flipside, I guess you can rebuild a team pretty quickly too. The ICE could be sellers next year and move some players for a nice haul of draft picks.

 

[tbcwpg]

There is a BOGO ticket deal for tomorrow's game vs. Seattle, I just got an e-mail offer. I took a look online and there are still a lot of seats left. I find that surprising and somewhat discouraging, big matchup between the two top ranked junior teams in North America and they have to resort to a BOGO offer just to get a respectable crowd? It's not like tickets are that expensive to begin with. Hopefully the ICE can attract a big and noisy crowd for tomorrow night!

I think only people who are following the ICE, know about the standings, prospects etc. They don't do a very good promotional job (though I'm sure that's partly due to budget and the size of the market).

Some people might have an idea about the WHL but I doubt there's a lot of people that are even aware that Seattle has a CHL team, let alone that they're a Memorial Cup contender.

 

[jetsmooseice]

I think only people who are following the ICE, know about the standings, prospects etc. They don't do a very good promotional job (though I'm sure that's partly due to budget and the size of the market).

Some people might have an idea about the WHL but I doubt there's a lot of people that are even aware that Seattle has a CHL team, let alone that they're a Memorial Cup contender.

I know that when I go to a Goldeyes game, I have no idea where anyone is in the standings, who the players are, etc. I just go to enjoy the sunshine, drink beer and maybe see a few nice plays. But I consider Winnipeg to be a "hockey town", and with the CHL I would expect that people would be at least kind of aware of what's going on. Maybe not to the point where they could tell you who is on the third line for the ICE or tell you what the team's goal differential is, but just generally aware that there's a big game coming up.

I guess I'm the exception because I'm pretty amped for tomorrow's game, that is quite the list of prospects on both teams.

I realize that any given Moose game will have even more NHL prospects on the ice. But there is just something about the fast, wide open junior game that makes it a total thrill to watch.

 

[tbcwpg]

I know that when I go to a Goldeyes game, I have no idea where anyone is in the standings, who the players are, etc. I just go to enjoy the sunshine, drink beer and maybe see a few nice plays. But I consider Winnipeg to be a "hockey town", and with the CHL I would expect that people would be at least kind of aware of what's going on. Maybe not to the point where they could tell you who is on the third line for the ICE or tell you what the team's goal differential is, but just generally aware that there's a big game coming up.

I guess I'm the exception because I'm pretty amped for tomorrow's game, that is quite the list of prospects on both teams.

I realize that any given Moose game will have even more NHL prospects on the ice. But there is just something about the fast, wide open junior game that makes it a total thrill to watch.

I've enjoyed the junior games I've been to as well, I just don't think the general hockey fan is aware of how good they are this year and especially how good other teams in the league are. Hell I think I follow hockey at an above average level and I had no clue until this week who the OHL and QMJHL front runners are, and to be honest if the ICE weren't here I wouldn't really know about the WHL either apart from scoreboard watching Red Deer games.

 

[superdeluxe]

Lambert is a healthy scratch tonight…My guess is his first game will be tomorrow

 

[jetsmooseice]

Lambert is a healthy scratch tonight…My guess is his first game will be tomorrow

Thank you.

I'll be curious to see whether Zack Ostapchuk is in the lineup for the ICE, when Brian Munz interviewed him he said he was in Toronto. The interview may have been recorded yesterday but if so, that still meant that he would have made his first appearance at an ICE practice the day before the game, at best.

 

[snowkiddin]

There is a BOGO ticket deal for tomorrow's game vs. Seattle, I just got an e-mail offer. I took a look online and there are still a lot of seats left. I find that surprising and somewhat discouraging, big matchup between the two top ranked junior teams in North America and they have to resort to a BOGO offer just to get a respectable crowd? It's not like tickets are that expensive to begin with. Hopefully the ICE can attract a big and noisy crowd for tomorrow night!

How is the parking by the arena? Last year I was able to snag free parking all the time (although I think they may have been paid lots, I never got ticketed and no one was there collecting payment), but I’m bringing some cash tonight in case I’m stuck paying.