The Vancouver Canucks’ training camp for the 2025-26 season is just two weeks away.
For the second year in a row, training camp will be in Penticton. As per usual, the training camp, which runs from September 18 to September 21, is open to the public, though it won’t be free.
The Canucks announced on Thursday morning that tickets to training camp will go on sale on Tuesday, September 9. Tickets for on-ice sessions on Thursday and Friday will be $13 each, Sunday’s (presumably shorter) practice will be $6.50, and the Saturday scrimmage will be $40.
That’s an increase in prices from last year, when single-day tickets to on-ice sessions cost $10, while the scrimmage was $32.
But it’s an even more significant increase from the cost of training camp just two years ago, and an infinite price increase from the year before that.
Most years, the Canucks didn't charge fans for training camp
I went back and looked at training camp details over the past 10+ years. The majority of the time, access to the Canucks’ on-ice sessions and scrimmages was as cheap as it gets: free.
That includes the Canucks’ training camp ahead of the best season in franchise history in 2010, which also happened to be in Penticton. While fans had to order a ticket to ensure they could get into the building, that ticket didn’t cost anything.
The Canucks’ training camps in Whistler in 2014, 2016, 2018, and as recent as 2022 were all free. In 2017, training camp was at Rogers Arena; it was also free.
Even when a price was affixed to attending training camp, up until last year, it was a low price, with the proceeds donated to charity.
In 2015, the Canucks went up north to Prince George for their training camp and charged fans $5 to attend the team’s practices. All proceeds went to the Canucks For Kids Fund, with the aim of using the money to support minor hockey development in Prince George.
In 2019, the Canucks were in Victoria, with tickets again $5 to attend on-ice sessions, with the proceeds going to charity, though no specific charity was named in any press releases.
The Canucks’ training camp ahead of the 2020-21 season wasn’t open to the public for what should be obvious reasons, but fans were once again allowed to attend training camp ahead of the 2021-22 season. The camp was split between Rogers Arena and the Abbotsford Centre, with admission to practices priced at $5.50, with proceeds going to the Canucks For Kids Fund for use in the Fraser Valley.
In 2023, training camp was in Victoria again, with a $5 entrance fee each day, with all proceeds going to the Moose Hide Campaign, an indigenous-led charity that aims to end gender-based violence.
It was only in 2024 that the prices jumped. More importantly, there’s no indication on either last year’s press release or this year’s press release that the proceeds are going to charity.
To be clear, the Canucks are not required to donate proceeds from training camp to charity; it’s just a change from past practices.
The Canucks provide more access to fans than most NHL teams
Many other NHL teams don’t open their training camp sessions to the public at all. Those that do might only open up one or two practices, though those sessions are typically free for fans.
For instance, the Winnipeg Jets will have a free Fan Fest on September 20, with fans able to attend one of two on-ice sessions that day. Likewise, the Edmonton Oilers will have one practice open to the public on September 20 as part of their Fan Day, with free admission.
The Canucks, comparatively speaking, are wide open when it comes to fan access to training camp, but they’re also charging a comparative premium for that access.
In fairness, Canucks fans were willing to pay that premium last year. The practices were well-attended, and the 5000-seat South Okanagan Events Centre certainly looked full for the Blue vs White scrimmage.
On the other hand, that was after the Canucks came one game away from the 2024 Western Conference Final. Excitement for the Canucks was at a fever pitch at that time; will the same excitement be there after a season where everything went wrong and the Canucks missed the playoffs?
