Rockets Set To Open New Campaign With Home Opener Against Winterhawks

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WHL Kelowna Rockets

Rockets Set To Open New Campaign With Home Opener Against Winterhawks

September 20, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Jaxon Kehrig of the Kelowna Rockets
Jaxon Kehrig of the Kelowna Rockets
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)

The Kelowna Rockets will kick off their 2024-25 regular season on Saturday night when they host the Portland Winterhawks at Prospera Place at 6:05 pm. It's the fifth time that the Rockets have opened their season against the Winterhawks since relocating to Kelowna in 1995 with the most recent encounter coming last season where the Winterhawks won the game 6-5 in overtime.

"We're really excited because we're returning a significant part of our offence from the past and we've got some interesting new players here," said Rockets President and General Manager Bruce Hamilton on what fans can expect from this year's version of the Rockets. "We've got a bit of youth that are exciting young players and we're really looking forward to seeing how they come along."

But most importantly, I think we've got a hockey club that has a chance to win on any given night. Jari (Kykkanen) was great down the stretch and so was Jake (Pilon) in goal so I'm hoping that we have a pretty complete season and I'm going to be disappointed if we aren't one of the top teams in our division."

Saturday's contest is the lone game of the weekend for the Rockets, they'll then be off until Friday, September 27 when they host the Victoria Royals.

Meanwhile, the Winterhawks will open their season on the road Friday night against the Kamloops Blazers.

TICKETS

Single-game tickets for all Rockets games are on sale at Select Your Tickets.

Tickets for Rockets games are only available at Select Your Tickets, they are the official provider of Rockets tickets.

Tickets can be purchased:

Online at selectyourtickets.com

By calling Select Your Tickets at 250-762-5050

Or by visiting the Select Your Tickets box office at the Prospera Place box office. The box office is open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and opens at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday home game days.

ROCKETS ROSTER UPDATES

Earlier this week the Rockets set their roster for opening night, which features fifteen forwards, nine defencemen and two goaltenders. To view the roster please click here.

Eleven of the Rockets currently on the roster were selected in the WHL Prospects Draft by Kelowna

Max Graham, Tij Iginla, Michael Cicek, Hiroki Gojsic, Landon Cowper, Ethan Mittelsteadt, Jake Pilon, Brett Calhoon, Luke Schelter, Levi Benson and Carter Kowalyk were all acquired via trade

Jackson Gillespie and Kalder Varga were selected in the U.S. Priority Draft

Marek Rocak is the lone European player currently on the roster, he was selected 43 rd overall in the 2022 CHL Import Draft

Connor Pankratz was listed by Kelowna

Tij Iginla (Utah), Andrew Cristall (Washington), Max Graham (New Jersey), Ethan Neutens (Los Angeles), Hiroki Gojsic (Nashville) and Caden Price (Seattle) will be unavailable to the Rockets this weekend as they're attending NHL camps.

"I'm not sure what will happen with Tij (Iginla), because he just started skating due to dealing with a bit of an injury issue. I think we'll see (Andrew) Cristall get into a game or two with the Capitals and he should, he was drafted two years ago," Hamilton said. "But Hiroki (Gojsic) will probably be back pretty soon. (Ethan) Neutens should be here anytime too."

Hamilton also had an update on a potential new addition to the team in 2022 CHL Import Draft pick Jakub Stancl. The Rockets took Stancl in the first round of that year's draft at 12th overall. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues and spent the last season in the Växjö Lakers HC program, splitting time between their U20 club and the pro team. He also suited up for Czechia at the 2024 World Juniors, posting four goals and six points in seven games.

"He'll be here probably early next week or so," Hamilton said. "We'll have a little bit different team by next weekend than we have this weekend, but we have to start the season when we do just because of when it ends with regards to the Memorial Cup, and you count back the days from there. So that's why we start when we do. Unfortunately, in our case this year, it's left us a little bit short to start the season."

The Rockets will be without defencemen Landon Cowper who is out month-to-month with a lower-body injury and Carter Kowalyk who is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The Rockets injury report is updated weekly and can be viewed here.

ROCKETS TO WATCH

Twenty-year-old goaltender Jari Kykkanen was solid in his one pre-season showing against Vancouver, stopping 28 of the 31 shots he was faced with. Kykkanen played over 60 games last season combining regular season and playoffs and will be looked to as a calming presence in the Rockets net.

Rookie forward Levi Benson was a strong performer for the Rockets in the pre-season, collecting four points in all four games. He was tied with Michael Cicek in points and Cicek and Luke Schelter in goals with two.

Connor Pankratz, Kalder Varga, Kanjyu Gojsic, Jake Henderson, Levi Benson, Jaxon Kehrig and Rowan Guest are all expected to appear in their first regular-season WHL contest.

WATCH AND LISTEN

Radio broadcast

Rockets games will be broadcast on 104.7 FM the Lizard this season with Regan Bartel calling all of the action.

Don't forget to download the RocketFAN app and visit rocketfan.ca for more exclusive Rockets content from Pattison. Fans can stream the radio broadcast of all Rockets games on the app.

Online video stream

All Rockets games will be available on WHL Live. WHL Live on is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.

ONLINE 50/50

The Kelowna Rockets online 50/50 is back for the 2024-25 season!

The online 50/50 will give fans in Rockets fans located in British Columbia and those who are attending the game the chance to win during every Rockets home game this season. The 50/50 will also raise important dollars for the Kelowna Minor Hockey Association.

Tickets will be available for purchase on all game days starting at 9 a.m. PT and end at the start of the third period on the same day.

LINEUP SHEET + GAME DAY PROGRAM

Printed lineup sheets will not be available at games this season, they can be accessed online by visiting the game day program.

The Game Day Program will be available in the same spot, it comes complete with game notes, stats, team rosters and entry forms for the Rockets intermission contests.

The sheet and program will be uploaded by 3:00 p.m. on game days.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics




Images from this story

Jaxon Kehrig of the Kelowna Rockets
Jaxon Kehrig of the Kelowna Rockets
(Steve Dunsmoor)		   

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