SWIFT CURRENT, SK – The Swift Current Broncos held their annual general meeting in the upstairs auditorium of the Innovation Credit Union iPlex on September 29, 2020, recapping the 2019/2020 season.
The Broncos board of directors and membership elected three new board members, including Shauna Carefoot, Alex Laird, and Month Reich. The Broncos board also thanked former board members Kyle McIntyre and Jeff Kirwan for their years of voluntary service and immeasurable advice and guidance.
The team announced a net loss for the 2019/2020 season of $791,000. The 2019/2020 season was expected to be a difficult financial season as the team continued through the development phase of their cycle after the 2017/2018 championship, however the financial results for season were severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the settlement of a CHL wide class action lawsuit, an accounting revaluation of the education scholarship liability, and several unexpected reductions in key supplementary revenue streams, amounting to over $470,000 of additional losses for the season. Losses from regular operations of the club were close to pre-season projections, and are mainly a result of a decrease in season tickets, game day attendance, and the resulting loss of income from in-game operations. The corporate partners and suite holders of the Broncos continued to show strong support for the organization for the 2019/2020 season, and remain a critical component for the Broncos organization.
Aside from navigating the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the key areas of focus off the ice for the organization going into next season are the engagement of the Swift Current fan base in supporting an exciting group of talented young players as they develop as a team, improvements to the concession operations, continued improvements to the overall game day experience, and an emphasis on building long-lasting relationships with the next generation of committed season ticket holders.
The Swift Current Broncos are proud to have supported our former players in their educational pursuits, with a record amount of tuition paid and players supported, with over $161,000 paid towards the education of 25 former players.
The club raised substantial awareness and funds for various community organizations, raising and donating more than $15,000 to various organizations. The total hours of community engagement and participation from Broncos staff and players were again in excess of 500 for the 2019/2020 season.
From the on-ice perspective, the club finished the season with a 10-48-2-3 record, after a second year of substantial changes in an effort to restock and develop the team’s prospects, draft picks, young talent and leadership.
Under the guidance of Dean Brockman, the Broncos have gathered substantial draft capital that has led to two impressive WHL Bantam drafts. The success of these past two Bantam drafts have rebuilt the team’s 50-man roster to a position of strength going into this next generation of Broncos teams.
The Broncos selected 11 players in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, and 2 players from the WHL’s US Draft. The Broncos have proudly signed five 2004 born players from the 2019 draft class, as well five 2005 born players from the 2020 draft class. The Broncos also selected Slovakian defenseman Oliver Fatul, and Belarusian forward Vladislav Demidovich in the CHL Import draft.
