The team is still a few weeks from its pre-season debut, but the members of the Western Hockey League’s newly-minted Winnipeg Ice are looking forward to facing off in their new home.
The team, which relocated from British Columbia earlier this year, is entering a crowded hockey market, with fans supporting the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, as well as a host of minor league teams.
For one of the team’s star players, however, Winnipeg’s status as a hockey hotbed is one of the most thrilling parts of the move.
“It’s gonna be exciting,” Ice centre Peyton Krebs told 680 CJOB.
“There’s a lot of hype going into it with the big move, and I’m really looking forward to doing this.
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“I’ve heard some amazing things. It’s exciting times, for sure. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to play in a big hockey market.”
Krebs — a first-round NHL draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights (17th overall) — may have to wait a little bit longer than some of his teammates before getting that chance.
An injury during an on-ice training session sidelined the Ice’s leading scorer, although he had successful surgery earlier this summer in Calgary, and is expected to make a full recovery.
“Each and every day, it’s healing up better, so I’m just trying to get healthy and get back on the ice,” he said.
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The Ice kick off both their pre-season and regular season with a pair of games against Manitoba’s only other WHL team, the Brandon Wheat Kings, and the two teams are expected to generate a rivalry that Krebs says he’s looking forward to.
“Any time you play a team a lot, it seems you get some hatred in there,” he said.
“Nothing’s started yet, but I’m sure there’s gonna be some heated battles. They’re a great team over there, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Starting this hockey season, all Winnipeg Ice games will stream on CJOB.com. Additionally, almost all Saturday and Sunday games will be broadcast live on 680 CJOB.