WHL set to name Dan Near as next league Commissioner Thursday
As Sportsnets’ Jeff Marek reports, the Western Hockey League (WHL) is set to name Dan Near as the new WHL commissioner tomorrow. He will be the successor to longtime commissioner Ron Robison.
Near is the former head of Adidas Hockey and a global executive who is well-known in the hockey world. He was the driving force behind the reverse retro jerseys.
WHL News – Dan Near will be announced as the next commissioner of the league tomorrow at a 12:30MT presser. Near was previously the head of Adidas Hockey Near has a strong hockey and marketing background.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) November 29, 2023Robinson announced in June that he would be stepping down after the 2023-24 season. He joined the league in 2000-01 and will go down as the longest-serving Commissioner in WHL history. Under his helm, the WHL has seen remarkable growth over the past two decades with 22 teams strategically positioned throughout Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.
“Under Robison’s leadership, the WHL experienced unprecedented growth and survived the challenges of a global pandemic, only to return as strong as ever,” the WHL said in a June news release.
“The WHL continues to serve as a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League and Canada’s National Hockey Teams, and is also a leading supplier of hockey scholarships, with close to 400 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice.”
Ron Toigo, Chairman of the WHL Commissioner Search Committee and Governor of the Vancouver Giants, will introduce Dan Near as the next WHL Commissioner during a media conference on Thursday, November 30 at 12:30 p.m. MT from the Telus Club at the Scotiabank Saddledome.