Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Veteran goalie released

Kykkanen odd man out after goalie trade

Nov 22, 2024 | 1:48 PM

The Kelowna Rockets announced today that they have released 20-year-old goaltender Jari Kykkanen.

The Lloydminster, AB product cleared WHL waivers earlier today. He is now a free agent eligible to join other leagues.

“Following the trade, we are forced to make a difficult decision on our goaltending tandem,” said Rockets President and General Manager Bruce Hamilton.

“We thank Jari for his effort and commitment to the Kelowna Rockets and wish him the best moving forward.”

Regan’s Take: The writing may have been on the wall for Jari Kykkanen after a tough start to the season. Despite the Rockets’ struggles with several key players away at NHL training camps, Kykkanen’s opening stretch of five consecutive losses put him in a difficult position. After being given a chance to prove himself with five starts between November 8th and November 16th, it seems the organization was hoping for the type of late-season brilliance Kykkanen had shown in previous years, especially in the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, where he arguably was the MVP in a second-round series against Prince George. The Rockets clearly needed more consistency from their veteran goalie, particularly the ability to steal games when the team falters. By acquiring Rhett Stoesser—who’s a year younger—they gain an option for the future while freeing up an overage spot. Stoesser, who battled back from an ACL and MCL injury in early 2023, is now fully recovered and ready for a fresh start in Kelowna. The last time the Rockets and Rebels made a goalie trade was in 2001 when Shane Bendera was acquired for Carsen Germyn.

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Kykkanen has appeared in 109 regular season games, entirely with the Rockets. He went 54-38-6-1 and has a career goals-against-average of 3.50 with a .893 save percentage. Kykkanen also has five shutouts in his career. His best season came in 2023-24 when he played in 51 games, going 28-16-2-1 with a 3.38 goals-against-average and a .896 save percentage.

Kykkanen also played in 16 playoff games for the Rockets, posting a 3.39 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. In 12 games this season, Kykkanen went 4-7-1 with an .871 save percentage and 3.81 goals-against average.