The Bellingham Hamsters? The Bellingham Beavers? The Bellingham Bananas?
Who knows what a semi-professional hockey team would be called in Bellingham, but the thought of there being one for some of the region’s most ravenous fans of the sport brings promise enough that maybe, just maybe, one day the vision could come to fruition.
The Western Hockey League is a major junior hockey league for players ages 15–20 and is a significant talent feeder to the National Hockey League and other levels of pro hockey. Many NHL stars like the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard and the Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl played their junior years in the WHL.
The WHL consists of 22 teams, with 16 in Western Canadian provinces and six in Washington and Oregon. The league recently announced it will be expanding to 24 teams. The Penticton Vees will join next season, and a proposed team in Chilliwack the following season, to accommodate the influx of junior hockey throughout North America and beyond.
In a press release, WHL commissioner Dan Near addressed the Vees expansion announcement.
“As we evaluate the ever-changing landscape of hockey, this marks a critical opportunity for the WHL to invest in enhancing the WHL player experience across all 24 WHL markets,” Near said. “The WHL remains committed to offering a world-class player experience for hockey’s elite junior-aged players, and with that, we will continually raise our standards across the board to adapt to the changing landscape.”
Amidst all the discussion of expansion and relocation, there’s always been one city with a baffling lack of a team: Bellingham.
The Silvertips were an expansion team in 2003–04, enjoying success from the get-go that has spanned to the present day, never missing the playoffs in the franchise’s history. So what’s to say the same can’t happen in Bellingham?
Everett Silvertips' play-by-play voice Casey Bryant has been around the WHL for the last four seasons and has traveled plenty of times through Bellingham to get to opponents they play in British Columbia.
“I think that it's an interesting place for it,” Bryant said. “This region is a great hockey hotbed, and I think that there is a way that you can market a team to a college-style fanbase, where you market it as something for college kids to go do on the weekends.”
The biggest question is where would they play? Bellingham doesn’t have an arena that is viable for WHL action.
Many of the cities with teams in the WHL already had arenas baked into their communities for teams to begin operations, but that’s not the case in Bellingham. The only sheet of ice in the region is at Bellingham Sportsplex, which has a capacity of around 500 people.
A new venue would need to be built to house a team. An arena could not only host hockey games but draw other major events to Bellingham and create new economic opportunities.
Not every arena has to be too high-end. An arena like Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee—home of the Wild and in a city around one-third the size of Bellingham— could work as it was only $38.1 million when it opened in 2008, with a capacity of 4,300.
And despite the lofty expenses, arenas can be good revenue generators for a city. In 2023, Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett — home of the aforementioned Silvertips and in a city slightly larger than Bellingham — garnered $5.3 million in total net revenue, which was the highest in the building’s history. It has a capacity of 8,149.
Additionally, the right ownership group would have to be in place for there to be a proposal or arena agreement to be reached.
“They would have to wedge themselves in there as a strong brand from the get-go,” Bryant said. “When Penticton comes into the league, they have to pay a regionalization fee to Kelowna, being so close. So I’m curious if a team in Bellingham would have to pay one to Vancouver and Everett?”
Some other problems arise when it comes to arena size and location, with the potential for other concerns. The Bellingham Parks and Recreation department was reached for comment but has not responded to The Front’s requests.
Whatcom County Amateur Hockey Association coach Kyle Sorenson knows a thing or two about wacky ideas for hockey in Bellingham.
In February 2024, Sorenson held an event entitled “Oops! All Goalies!” in which only goalies played in a game against each other. Since then, he’s held larger-scale events in Seattle and Denver.
“I think it is kind of a logical town to have one,” Sorensen said. “I feel like it would be successful, especially with the Bellingham Bells already being pretty popular ... It could create good rivalries [with other WHL teams] and provide good economic impact.”
Participation in hockey in the state has grown exponentially since the NHL came to Seattle and more kids are playing hockey than ever. According to USA Hockey statistics, 1,341 new Washington state USA Hockey registrants have joined since 2019–20.
“There's such a demand for ice that people in Bellingham leave to go play hockey elsewhere,” Sorenson said. “They drive up to Canada or they drive down to Everett. I know multiple people from the Bellingham community that skate in Everett because there's just not enough ice in Bellingham.”
Cameron Riggers (he/him) is a campus life reporter for The Front. He is a news and editorial journalism major. Additionally, he writes about the Western Hockey League for soundofhockey.com and can often be found at a rink around the Pacific Northwest. You can follow his work on Twitter/X @CameronRiggers and can reach him at CameronRiggers.thefront@gmail.com.
