I remember when this league was 10 teams and they were mainly all in the Kootenays. And there was actually a team called the Rossland Warriors. People complained going to North Okanagan and Sicamous as they were “off the grid”. At least this is a relocation and not an expansion, but this many number of teams and the other 2 leagues in BC also classifying themselves as “Junior A” doesn’t really do much for the title. Quesnel is a great city for Junior hockey and anyone who remembers the Millionaires knows this. Communities such as Princeton, Sicamous, Grand Forks (thats just a few) just look silly to even be considered a place to have a team that is of Junior A caliber. No offence to those towns as they are great communities.
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League has announced that the North Okanagan Knights franchise has been sold and relocated to Quesnel, where they will now be known as the River Rush. This move was unanimously approved by the KIJHL’s Board of Governors and will take effect immediately. With the addition of the River Rush, the KIJHL’s geographic footprint expands to include an additional 120 kilometers north, and the Cariboo region now has a third franchise alongside the 100 Mile House Wranglers and Williams Lake Mustangs.
The River Rush will be owned and operated by local businessman Tracy Mero, who has previously been the principal owner of the Kamloops Storm since 2019. As part of the KIJHL’s approval process for the sale and relocation to Quesnel, Mero sold the Kamloops franchise to longtime Storm president and governor Matt Kolle.
KIJHL commissioner Jeff Dubois expressed the league’s excitement about the return of Junior A hockey to Quesnel, saying, “We’ve been so excited to see the passion and enthusiasm that has been building throughout this process and we can’t wait to experience the incredible atmosphere when the team hits the ice this fall.”
The River Rush will play out of the 1,300-seat West Fraser Centre, which was built in 2017 and will immediately become a premier facility in the KIJHL. The first member of Quesnel’s hockey operations staff is Dale Hladun, who has been hired as the team’s Head Coach and General Manager. Hladun brings extensive KIJHL coaching and management experience to the River Rush, having previously held similar roles with the Princeton Posse, Fernie Ghostriders, and 100 Mile House Wranglers. In 2016, he led the Wranglers to KIJHL, Cyclone Taylor Cup (B.C. Provincial), and Keystone Cup (Western Canadian) championships.