Business Manager Mike Scissons addresses the membership of the Prince Albert Raiders to kick off the Annual General Meeting. (Nick Nielsen)

By Nick Nielsen

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As one of the last community owned teams left in the WHL, the Prince Albert Raiders are in good standings financially.

The Raiders Board of Directors and staff gathered for their annual general meeting (AGM) Wednesday night to discuss where the team is sitting after the last season, and heard the organization has been able to manage finances well despite the rising cost of living.

The last time the Raiders had a study done on their economic impact on the city was after the 2019-2020 season when they were credited with directly bringing in over $4.8 million dollars. The indirect impact was estimated at $10.1 million per year. With the latest study done for the 2023-24 season, that direct impact jumped up to over $6.1 million, and the indirect impact grew to $12.8 million per year.

“I think it says a lot to the the value of WHL entertainment in your center,” said Raiders’ business manager Mike Scissons. “For us to be able to grow that number to $12.8 million a year roughly, that’s a big nut to be honest with you and something we’re incredibly proud of. I think everybody in the city is proud of that fact that the Raiders can help the development of the city grow that way, and it’s something that we’re very happy to see when that number came up.”

One of the biggest positives for the Raiders was in their ticket sales. Season tickets and attendance has generally been down everywhere in the hockey world since the pandemic, but the Raiders have managed to increase their season ticket revenue as well as their walkup attendance.

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“It is something that we’re proud of. Our attendance right now through 14 games at home is up six per cent from where it was last year and that’s positive change. As attendance grows in the second-half, typically we’re looking for that to continue on and so we can’t thank our fans enough here in Prince Albert and surrounding area for continuing to support us. The games have been entertaining, they’ve been fun, they’ve been fast, and it’s something that when you leave the rink, you’re always entertained.”

Most areas of the Raiders’ spending over the last season, including equipment and travel, are up as expected. One area that rose higher than inflation was game-day expenses, due to increased security.

“We invested in bringing in additional security last year and it’s something we continue to do this year. I don’t want everyone to think that Raider games are dangerous places to be or, or scary places to be; they’re exactly the opposite. It’s a family friendly atmosphere and at the end of the day what we want to do is ensure that everyone there is getting in and out in a safe manner,” Scissons said.

The Raiders have also improved game day experiences technically with the production of different videos and graphics on the video score clock. Scissons said it improves the atmosphere of the game, but its also a revenue generator for the Raiders through sponsored segments.

A problem that is facing the CHL as a whole is that there is less national corporate sponsorship now that there is another form of competition with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) taking some of those dollars. While the competition means less revenue for teams in the WHL, it also means more young women interested in the sport and potentially more young women wanting to come to watch the best hockey in town.

“The PWHL alone is such an important step forward in sport and in our culture recognizing the outstanding achievements of female athletes and incredible hockey to watch. We were blessed to have a Canada versus Sweden game a number of years back, and it’s high level. Just go out, watch the Bears and you get to see incredible hockey, but it does add another layer into the market.”

Scissons continued to say that while there is more competition now than ever for your entertainment dollar, the Raiders are continuing to add more to the overall fan experience so there is always something to look forward to.

“I think what we have to do first and foremost is continue to put the Raiders out there and continue to put a good product on the ice, which I think we’re trying to do, and add entertainment value while you’re there. That’s what we’re working to do and just making sure that the people that come to our games are entertained first and foremost, and we will continue to try to improve that show every single time we go out there.”

Mark Doell, Brent Spademan, and Brad Toporowski were all re-elected to the Board of Directors for another term.

The entire board consists of:

President/Governor: Gord Broda

Vice President: Bard Toporowski

Treasurer: Brent Spademan

Directors: Corey Crawford, Mark Doell, Colin Fraser, Curtis Lemieux, Mike Lypchuk, Brent MacDonald, Ken Malenfant, Trevor Rumpel, and Gord Thompson.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com