WHL awards Chilliwack expansion franchise to group led by former Abbotsford Canucks head coach
Colliton will serve as governor, general manager and head coach as the franchise prepares for the 2027-28 season.
- On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the Western Hockey League awarded an expansion franchise to a Chilliwack ownership group led by Jeremy Colliton, Brett Motherwell, Mason Raymond, Mario Amantea, and Patrick Lathrop.
- This announcement marks the return of the WHL to Chilliwack after the city lost its previous franchise when it relocated to Victoria following the 2010-11 season.
- Colliton, a former Chicago Blackhawks head coach, will serve as governor, general manager, and head coach of the team playing in the 144,000 square-foot Chilliwack Coliseum, which seats 5,000.
- Hockey operations staff will begin assembling a roster immediately, with plans to participate in the WHL Expansion Draft and WHL Prospects Draft in spring 2027.
- Starting in the 2027-28 season, the team will compete in the B.C. Division and Western Conference, with team branding and details unveiled at a local launch event in the coming weeks.
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Former Canucks player bringing WHL team to Chilliwack
A new team will be joining the WHL in the 2027-28 season, and a former member of the Vancouver Canucks is part of the new ownership group. The WHL announced on Wednesday that an expansion franchise has been awarded to Chilliwack, B.C., and an ownership group headed up by Jeremy Colliton. While Colliton played a handful of games in the NHL for the New York Islanders, he’s better known as a coach. He was the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks fo…
WHL awards Chilliwack expansion franchise to group led by former Abbotsford Canucks head coach - Vanderhoof Omineca Express
The Western Hockey League has announced they have awarded the Chilliwack expansion franchise to an ownership group led by Jeremy Colliton, Brett Motherwell, Mason Raymond, Mario Amantea, and Patrick Lathrop. The WHL revealed the news in a press release on Wednesday (Nov. 4). Colliton, a former head coach of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, as well as a former assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils, will also ser…
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