‘A long time coming’: Bellingham is about to welcome a new ice sports team
Bellingham is getting a new sports team on ice this fall when Bellingham Hockey Club makes its debut.
The team has emerged on the heels of the Bellingham Blazers suspending operations for the 2025-2026 season. That decision came after a rules change made amateur hockey players eligible to compete in college, and fewer players were signing up with the local club, Cascadia Daily News previously reported.
“The Blazers’ level of hockey was targeting Division III players for hockey,” coach and Hockey Director Erick Ruud told Cascadia Daily News at the time. “With all those extra kids now eligible, they do not think they can make the college teams. Rather than playing junior hockey, they are playing for their local club teams.”
The Bellingham Hockey Club will compete in the 17-and-under division of the Junior Prospects Hockey League of western Canada.
The team will be led by coach Vic Pereira, with Rudd serving as assistant coach.
““The process was a long time coming. With a hockey background and love for coaching, [Vic Pereira] always wanted to start something new in Bellingham for higher level competition,” Colton Pereira, Player and Social Media manager for the team, told The Herald in an email. “The JPHL has a fluid expansion process and their want to expand into the US was a key factor of the expansion.”
The team will be based out of the Sportsplex Arena at the Civic Athletic Complex and will travel for league games in Canada, including games in Saskatchewan and Alberta, according to Colton Pereira.
According to the Bellingham Hockey Club Instagram page, the team’s roster was completed in late May. Since then, the team has been building excitement for its debut by teasing home and away jerseys and revealing players. As of Friday, June 26, 15 players had been announced. They hail from various cities across Washington and British Columbia, and one is from California.
Games will begin in mid-September, and admission will be free, which is subject to change.
Official team updates can be found on the team’s website or Instagram.
“The most exciting part about bringing hockey to Bellingham is the development pathway that the kids get to go through, and the overall experience they will receive,” Colton Pereira said. “Being now the ‘focal point’ of Bellingham’s hockey community, the commitment and dedication to the team is a truly exciting thing.”