The Fernie Ghostriders reported a much stronger financial result at their 2026 Annual General Meeting, while also outlining a major change in the junior hockey landscape that will affect travel, scheduling, and future costs for the community-owned club.
The Fernie Ghostriders Hockey Club held its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 28, with the club reporting an estimated profit of approximately $62,000 for the past season. That marks a significant turnaround from the previous year, when the team lost roughly the same amount.
The improved result was credited to several factors, including additional playoff games, new fundraising efforts, stronger 50/50 revenue, and new advertising sponsors.
The positive financial news comes at an important time for the Ghostriders, as junior hockey in British Columbia is undergoing a major realignment.
After more than five decades, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League as Fernie fans have known it is changing dramatically. Beginning with the 2026-27 season, the Ghostriders are expected to play in the new British Columbia Hockey Conference, a sanctioned Junior A league approved by British Columbia Hockey.
The new league includes teams from the former Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and the Pacific Junior Hockey League. League organizers are also seeking membership in the Canadian Junior Hockey League, which would place the British Columbia Hockey Conference within the national Junior A structure alongside leagues in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and other provinces.
For Fernie, the opportunity comes with a challenge: travel.
Several familiar regional opponents, including Creston and Golden, have left the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League structure and joined a separate league. That means the Ghostriders will face more long-distance road trips, with more weekends expected to include travel over mountain passes such as the Salmo-Creston and Rogers Pass routes.
Those trips will add costs for transportation, meals, accommodations, and staff support. They may also create a larger burden on volunteers and players during the regular season.
The new British Columbia Hockey Conference schedule is expected to increase from 44 games to 50 games. The Ghostriders are not expected to play the Pacific Junior Hockey League teams during the regular season, with crossover competition expected in the playoffs.
If the British Columbia Hockey Conference is accepted into the Canadian Junior Hockey League, it could also open a path for its champion to compete for the Centennial Cup, Canada’s national Junior A championship.
That possibility would be a major step forward competitively, but it would also raise a practical question for a community-owned hockey club: how to fund the cost of travelling to a national tournament that could be held anywhere in Canada.
The Annual General Meeting also confirmed the volunteer board that will guide the club through the transition into the new Junior A structure.
Fernie Ghostriders 2026 Board Members
Mike Casault returns as President by acclamation. Katie Barnett was acclaimed as Temporary Vice President, Jason Traska was acclaimed as Treasurer, Scotty McKee was acclaimed as Media Director, and George Hurlbut was acclaimed as Secretary.
The Billet Coordinator position remains vacant.
Directors acclaimed to the board are Rose Mangone, Jen Traska, Colton Traska, Ian Anderson, and Dennis Nobiss.
New directors joining the board are Jeri Mitchell and Seth Amundsen.
For now, the Ghostriders are entering this new chapter from a stronger financial position. The challenge ahead will be maintaining that stability while adapting to a more ambitious, more expensive Junior A hockey model.
Image and source: Fernie Ghostriders
