Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Kris Mallette guides CHL Prospects

Rockets coach is MIA as team bus heads over the border

Nov 26, 2024 | 7:00 AM

While the Kelowna Rockets are boarding a bus this morning headed to Portland, Oregon, Kris Mallette is 3800 kilometers away. 

Mallette is in London, Ontario as the head coach of the CHL Prospects, as they get set to face the USA in the first of two games in the newly formed CHL-USA Prospects Challenge. 

Games will be played in London tonight before moving to Oshawa for a rematch on Wednesday. 

“Every player on our team is well-earned,” Mallette told RocketFAN before leaving for the event. “Everyone thinks we just picked these guys. We were given a list from the NHL, 16 forwards, 10 defensemen, and some goaltenders. There were locks in that group, but there were also some players we were able to pick for those final positions.” 

The Western Hockey League is well represented, with Vancouver Giants leading scorer Cameron Schmidt leading the way, and Everett Silvertips leading point getter Carter Bear also being named to the roster. 

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“It is fun to know these players in the Western League, and I think on our roster there are maybe three guys I haven’t personally coached. Lynden Lakovic, being from Kelowna, and Blake Fiddler (Vern Fiddlers son) being another, I’ve known him growing up, so I am seeing guys that I have worked with in the past.” 

Of the 10 WHL players on Team CHL, six represented Canada when Mallette coached the team to a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Grey Cup in Edmonton this summer.  

“We are going in to win,” Mallette said bluntly. “That was the directive from the CHL. This isn’t an all-star game by any means. We are going in there to showcase our players within the CHL and show why we are the best development league.” 

Also, on that roster from the WHL is Braedon Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds, Reese Hamilton of the Regina Pats, Cole Reschny of the Victoria Royals and Jackson Smith of the Tri-City Americans. 

“He does a lot of things well,” Mallette said when asked by Reschny, who has 27 points in 22 games this season. “He is strong in the dot, and is a player who wants to be at the forefront of his team. He is an offensive mind, drives a lot of the play with just his work ethic. Plus, he is a good person to be around and in Victoria they are building around him. He plays a lot, and rightfully so, as he is a pretty complete player up and down the ice.” 

Mallette knows that a good showing will only help his cause of possibly being named to the coaching staff of the world junior team in the not-so-distant future, something that ex-Rockets coaches Marcel Comeau, Marc Habscheid and Ryan Huska were able to do in their time behind a WHL bench. 

“I am fortunate to be coaching this team,” Mallette added. “Because I am familiar with this age group, our staff from the Hlinka are really excited to be added.  

“I was fortunate to coach the 2006 and 2007 group, and I am fortunate to see them in a real cool, inaugural two game series against the USA, and I know they [CHL Players] are here to do some business.” 

Mallette will return to the Kelowna Rockets bench Friday, in Portland, when his team wraps up a two-game in three-night road trip in Oregon State.