Warriors now under new ownership

Special to The Okanagan Weekend

The West Kelowna Warriors announced Friday that the B.C. Hockey League club is under new ownership, with the group KD Sports Ltd. now overseeing team operations.

The Warriors had been under the ownership of Mark Cheyne and the Vision Sports Group for the last nine seasons before an agreement was reached in August for the purchase of the club by KD Sports Ltd.

The group is comprised of Kim Dobranski and a minority silent partner that will take over team operations ahead of the 2018-19 season.

“I am very excited to work towards developing a sustainable business model where the community can participate and take ownership in this team,” said Dobranski, who has the titles of owner and president. “We are very fortunate to have this calibre of hockey in our backyard. Communities thrive socially and economically when they adopt a sports team and teams such as the Warriors also help build a sense of identity for a community.”

The Warriors Hockey Society has been established in correlation with the new ownership, allowing members of the community to be more involved than ever before.

“This organization is not about any one person, it’s about the community it resides in, the players who come here and represent us, many of them local kids, and our collective role in sport producing good citizens for our communities,” said Dobranski.

This will be the franchise’s 25th season, beginning in 1994 as the Langley Thunder before moving to the Westside in 2006 when Cheyne took over the team. The name changed to the West Kelowna Warriors in 2012.

The 2018-19 regular season starts with a home-and-home between the Warriors and the Trail Smoke Eaters, opening on the road on Friday, Sept. 7.

The home opener for the Warriors is on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Royal LePage Place.