After spending years in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), the Penticton Vees organization set its sights on the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the new expansion team for the 2025-26 season. Not only did they clinch a spot in the WHL Playoffs in their inaugural season, but they are also now record holders within the entire CHL. How did a team from Penticton become one to watch for the upcoming playoffs?
There’s a New Record Holder in Town
On Friday, Feb. 27, the Vees defeated the Prince Albert Raiders 3-2 in a shootout to claim their 38th win of the season. In any normal season, that would be something to be happy about in a journey to the playoffs. However, this is no normal 38th win during a hockey season. Upon their victory, the Vees now hold the record for the most wins in a season by an expansion team in the CHL.
The Longueuil Cavaliers set the previous record during the 1982-83 season after going 37-29-4 in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). They totaled 78 points that season. Currently, the Vees are 38-13-4-4 with 84 points. Plus, they have secured their first-ever playoff berth in the WHL Playoffs. The Everett Silvertips hold the first seed in the Western Conference with 99 points. The Vees hold the second seed after 59 games played.
The Vees are operated by part-owner Graham Fraser, who also owns the rights to the BCHL Penticton Vees, the same team that Carolina Hurricanes prospect Bradly Nadeau tallied 113 points in 2022-23 and won two BCHL Championships. The team’s minority owners include Winnipeg Jets’ Mark Scheifele and former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter.
It’s been an impressive season by the new team, which had to recruit its 15-player list ahead of the 2025 Expansion Draft in May 2025, along with the WHL Prospects Draft and WHL U.S. Priority Drafts. Furthermore, out of their entire roster, only nine players did not have their WHL rights claimed ahead of the 2025-26 season. Essentially, they had to fill their 50-player list by the expansion draft. Fast forward to the end of February, and the Vees are only the second team in the WHL’s Western Conference to clinch a playoff berth.
It says a lot about how the head coach, general manager, and team president, Fred Harbinson, has kept the winning culture alive in the organization. Since joining the team in the 2007-08 season, he has made the BCHL Playoffs every year, while winning six championships in the process. Now in his first season in the WHL, he will lead his team to another playoff berth. What the Vees have done is remarkable, and it’s a testament to the winning culture in Penticton to set a record as an expansion team and have success in their inaugural season.
Currently, Jacob Kvasnicka leads the team in goals (33), assists (44), and points (77). Netminder Andrew Reyelts leads in wins (26) and goals-against average (2.47). He is second on the team in save percentage (.906), only .001 behind Ethan McCallum’s .907. Both goalies have three shutouts each.
After claiming the milestone, the season rolls on for the Vees as they take on the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday night (Feb. 28) to finish their six-game road trip. With nine games left in the regular season, the Vees will be looking to solidify the second seed in the Western Conference. They’re 10 points clear of the Prince George Courgars, who have played the same number of games. Following that, their sights will be set on making a deep playoff run in their first-ever postseason appearance. Can they continue their historical run?
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