WHL officially approves expansion team to Chilliwack

The WHL is heading back to Chilliwack, bringing top-level junior hockey to the British Columbia city for the first time since 2011, when the Chilliwack Bruins moved to the provincial capital to become the Victoria Royals. 

On Wednesday, the WHL announced that the Fraser Valley municipality had been granted expansion rights to the league’s 24th team, with plans to drop the puck in the 2027-28 season. The new hockey club will be led by an ownership group of Jeremy Colliton, Brett Motherwell, Mason Raymond, Mario Amantea, and Patrick Lathrop. 

While the team name is still undecided, the Bruins name has a long history in Chilliwack, dating back to the BC Junior Hockey League’s 1970-71 season. Since then, junior hockey in the city has been known by monikers including the Colts, the Eagles, and most recently, the Chiefs, a current team in the BCHL. 

The new franchise will play out of the Chilliwack Coliseum, a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena that currently hosts the BCHL’s Chiefs. Wednesday’s announcement made no mention of the Chiefs or their future in the BCHL—which Hockey Canada no longer sanctions. 

“We are excited to welcome the new Chilliwack ownership group to the Western Hockey League and excited about what this means for the future of hockey in the Fraser Valley,” commented WHL Commissioner Dan Near. 

“Chilliwack is a passionate hockey community, and we believe this ownership group brings the vision, commitment, and resources to build something special. We look forward to working together to establish a first-class organization that the community can rally around, and one that delivers an exceptional experience for players, fans, and partners.”

Colliton, formerly the head coach of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver’s affiliated team, will now take on the primary leadership role for the new franchise, aiming to build a hockey operations staff while leading the WHL Expansion Draft and Prospect Draft in the spring. 

The team will join the B.C. Division next season, becoming the second new team in the province after the Penticton Vees made the jump from the BCHL to the WHL in 2025-26.