By Anthony Corea

QUESNEL RIVER RUSH

The Quesnel River Rush set to make immediate impact on the KIJHL

Apr 18, 2024 | 3:48 PM

QUESNEL — It was exciting news when the city of Quesnel announced they were the 3rd expansion team to join the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The first time the city has had junior hockey since 2011.

Tracy Mero will take the reigns as the new owner and president of the team after he bought and relocated the North Okanagan Knights franchise. Mero, who has previously been the principal owner of the Kamloops Storm since 2019, always wanted to bring a locally owned Junior ‘A’ hockey team back to Quesnel.

“There are so many local kids that have come from Quesnel that have gone and played elsewhere. It’s a chance for them to stay at home and play and show their talent instead of moving out of town at an early age.” – Tracy Mero, Owner, Quesnel River Rush

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The KIJHL is thrilled to expand its league. They have added three teams in Merritt, Williams Lake, and Quesnel this offseason.

“This was the third attempt, to bring a team to Quesnel in the KIJHL. There was some interest, back in the late 2010s, and a bit of interest came out of the Covid-19 pandemic. But things really got going in November and December of last year and led up to the announcement on April 5th.” – Jeff Dubois, KIJHL Commissioner

A big selling factor to everyone involved in this expansion was the West Fraser Centre arena. A rink that was built in 2017 and holds 1,300 fans. When it was first built there was an expectation that the city would get a junior hockey team and now it’s a reality.

Add the fact the team has already partnered with Lhteko Dene First Nation and year number one is ramping up to be an exciting one for both the community and the team.

Season Tickets, Merchandise, Social Media, and a Website are already being worked on with training camp for the team expected to kick off in August.

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Twitter: @AnthonyCorea13

Email: Anthony.Corea@Pattisonmedia.com