Royals’ Wainman goes from in-stand host to groundbreaking voice on WHL broadcasts
Victoria, B.C.- Seanna Wainman loves a good challenge almost as much as she loves hockey.
As the Victoria Royals in-game host, she was no stranger to grabbing a microphone and hyping up thousands of people in the stands at Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena.
She also had no idea it would lead to a whole new role in the sport she loves.
“It was such a blast,” Wainman said of her first season as in-game host in 2023-24. “I can’t even describe how much fun it was being out there and interacting with the fans. Even making it into playoffs, there’s nothing like playoff atmosphere when you’ve got a full rink and a loud crowd- it’s amazing. That’s how I got started, and then this past summer, they reached out to me, and we kind of switched up our broadcast a little bit.”
The creation of a new Royals broadcast desk saw Wainman flex her technical knowledge in pre-game, intermission and postgame hosting segments.
It went so well, Victoria’s Manager of Broadcast and Content and play-by-play man Remy Zanotto asked if she’d be interested in joining him in the broadcast booth as a colour commentator.
“She’s a natural storyteller,” Zanotto. “She’s really great at the desk pieces, and the thought was, ‘Well, we’re looking at getting a colour commentator’ and immediately it was like, well, Seanna would be a perfect fit. She’s really good with knowing the details. She studies really hard, she really goes hard into the stats and pulls out tons of little tidbits. It just felt right after the first couple of games of having her as the in-game studio host.”
A born-and-raised Vancouver Islander, Wainman had followed the Royals for years.
While she hadn’t done colour commentary before, she honed her craft by studying broadcasting at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and keeps a strong pulse on the community through her job as a managing editor at Victoria Buzz.
“I will grab the mic and go in front of 7,000 fans in our arena, no questions asked, but I was so nervous to be on the radio for some reason, which is the funniest thing,” Wainman grinned. “I’m really into the analytical side of hockey, too. And as much fun as the in-game hosting is and being able to do that and interact with the fans, I’m also kind of a stat geek, right? So I like to get into the nitty gritty. There’s so much preparation and deep diving into those stats when you’re doing commentary, so I really get to play to that in this role.”
Moments before their first broadcast together, Zanotto quietly reminded her of everything she had put in to earn the opportunity- and she’s been forging ahead ever since.
So honoured to do colour commentary for the @victoriaroyals last night alongside the incredible @remyzanotto – hopefully the first of many games called together!
And what an absolute privilege to be the only female colour commentator in the WHL as of right now. 💙 pic.twitter.com/DkmqJHQwcd
— Seanna Wainman (@seriouslyseanna) November 30, 2024
“The growth is exponential,” Zanotto said. “She is so analytical. She’s such a hard worker.
We’re incredibly proud to have Seanna on our team, and she’s a perfect fit in our team, great person, obviously around the rink and in our organization, a great ambassador for the team.”
While the WHL has seen several women fill in on colour commentary, few have done so as consistently as Wainman.
She points to former Regina Pats colour commentator Daniella Ponticelli, who has gone on to call games at all levels, including U SPORTS, the PWHL and the Olympic Games, as a particular inspiration.
“A lot of incredible people paved the way for someone like me to get here, right?” Wainman added. “It means a ton, and it’s definitely hard work, but it’s hard work for anybody to get their foot in the door, I think, in sports. I have three daughters, so it’s a really big deal for me to be a woman working in sports. They’re all very sport-oriented. I have a seven-year-old who plays hockey and she thinks it’s really, really cool that we’re both in hockey. To be able to show them that they can do whatever they want to do, no matter who they are, is huge. That means so much to me.
I think one day, you know, it’s not going to be a story that there are women in hockey and male-dominated sports. It’s not going to be a big deal because it’s going to be so diverse that it’s just a thing. But right now, it is a story, and I’m so happy to be even just a little part of that story.”
Wainman’s first season on the mic continues as the B.C. Division-leading Royals close out their home schedule with tilts against the Spokane Chiefs on March 8 and the Vancouver Giants on March 14.
With the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien looming ahead, she’s excited to see what the future holds- on the ice and in the booth.
