‘I have massive shoes to fill’: WHL announces new commissioner

The Western Hockey League introduced its soon-to-be new commissioner on Thursday.

Dan Near will be taking the reins from current commissioner Ron Robison, who will be stepping down on Feb. 15.

Hired in September 2000, Robison announced earlier this year that he’d be retiring. Under his watch, the league expanded from 18 teams to 22, with new franchises in Vancouver, Chilliwack (now Victoria), Everett, Wash., and Edmonton.

He also ends his tenure as the league’s longest-serving commissioner, with 24 years, having eclipsed the former record of 21 years set by former president/commissioner Ed Chynoweth.

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Those are quite the footsteps to follow, but Near, 43, says he’s up for the challenge.

“I have massive shoes to fill. But it’s such a privilege to have a chance to learn from Ron over the next few months,” said Near, who recently managed Adidas’ worldwide hockey operations. He also spent 10 years with the NHL in marketing.

Near said he’s thrilled to join “the best development league in the world,” adding that “nearly 20 per cent of the NHL’s opening-night rosters came from the Western Hockey League.”

Ron Toigo, president of the Vancouver Giants and head of the WHL’s commissioner search committee, said they had nearly 100 applicants for the job.

“We pared it down to about 25, and, from those 25, we got into Zoom meetings and in-person meetings,” said Toigo.

“As we went through the process, there were some extremely competent candidates. But once we got to the in-person meetings, Dan really separated himself.”

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Toigo said Near’s work experience with the NHL and Adidas are important, “but more than anything, his personality shone through. His ability to deal with people, his ability to connect and his energy is needed to help build the brand.”

Ten years ago, large crowds were the norm at most WHL games. However, times have changed, and the financial landscape isn’t as green as it once was.

At its annual general meeting in June, the league announced last season’s average attendance was 3,895 — up from 3,205 in 2021-22 but down from an average of 4,400 in 2017-18.

Following opening statements during Thursday’s announcement, Near’s first media question was how the league is dealing with attendance levels.

“I don’t think there’s a singular formula to do that; there are a number of ways to do it,” Near said of attracting more fans.

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“You can count on (the league) trying to do things that generate a level of scale and consistency. So, rather than having all 22 teams operating as completely distinct and individual entities, we want to help build some best practices.”

He continued, saying, “There’s no question it’s a competitive landscape and it’s a fight to bring consumers into your building. We’re a blue-collar sport and people are spending hard-earned money to come to our games.

“It better be fun, it better be enjoyable, it better be competitive. And it better be something that they want to come back to. So I’m looking forward to understanding better what the clubs are doing right now and what we can do to contribute and enhance that.”

The announcement is available online.