Wild give back to Wenatchee Valley during 2022-23 season

WENATCHEE – As their first season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) approaches, the Wenatchee Wild are excited to announce contributions of $215,697, plus 110 hours of service from each player, to various causes and events in the Wenatchee Valley during and immediately after the 2022-23 season.

The organization commits each year to giving back to Wenatchee and surrounding communities, and has been successful in that pursuit over its 15 years on the ice. Some of those opportunities to give back are undertaken in-house on game nights, through the team’s 50/50 raffle and Chuck-a-Puck promotion. Last season’s 50/50 drawings and Chuck-a-Puck promotions raised $58,651 for participating groups, ranging from the Chelan County Regional Jail K9 Unit and the Wenatchee Wild Hockey Booster Club, to the Kenroy Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization and the NCW Sun Devils fastpitch softball club.

Each season, the Wild also celebrate jersey auction nights, wearing special uniforms that are auctioned off during and after the game with proceeds donated to local causes – the team’s 2022-23 jersey auctions to benefit the Guns & Hoses Foundation, the EASE Cancer Foundation in Cashmere and the Wenatchee Amateur Hockey Association raised a total of $65,465. Ticket donations from the past season totaled $78,000 – other contributions from fundraising tickets sold by area groups and tickets distributed to the team’s Wild About Learning partner schools also added to the total, pushing the Wild well past the $200,000 mark for the season.

Key promotional dates, including jersey auction nights, have been set for the upcoming season as well – Guns & Hoses Night returns on Saturday, January 20, while Hockey Fights Cancer is back on the schedule for February 16. Fans can also add their contributions during the annual Teddy Bear Toss game on December 1, and in the team’s annual Diaper Toss on February 9.

Wenatchee Wild players also took their time and talents into the community with regular stops at the team’s Wild About Learning partner schools and the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center, and an appearance at the Fred Meyer store in East Wenatchee to collect toys for the Les Schwab Community Toy Drive. Players also offered their time and talents on the ice, assisting with the Wenatchee Amateur Hockey Association’s Learn to Play, Power Skate and American Development Model programs. All told, each Wild player on the roster for the full season contributed 110 hours of service to the Wenatchee Valley community.

The Wild set out to “Restore The Roar” at Town Toyota Center during their 15^th Anniversary season in 2022-23, their final season as members of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), and fans in the Wenatchee Valley responded to the call, giving the team its highest per-game attendance in five years. Nearly 70,000 fans took in Wenatchee hockey games in the “Wolves’ Den” during the regular season, with playoff home games pushing the total attendance for the year to nearly 79,000 visitors. Included in that total was a sellout of 4,260 fans on Guns & Hoses Night, the team’s first capacity crowd in five years and largest regular-season crowd since 2011.

Wenatchee’s first WHL campaign begins with a home preseason game September 9 against the Tri-City Americans, and the team’s home opener September 22 against the Portland Winterhawks. 2023-24 season tickets are still on sale, to purchase season tickets, call 509-888-7825 or stop into the team office at Town Toyota Center. Updated news and information on Wild hockey are available through the team’s website and on the team’s social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.