Photo credit: Kelowna Rockets

By Regan Bartel

The race to the Memorial Cup is on!

Rockets reveal entire 2025-26 schedule

Jun 24, 2025 | 12:00 PM

The Kelowna Rockets have announced their full 2025–26 regular season schedule, marking the official start of the countdown to the 2026 Memorial Cup, which Kelowna will host next spring at Prospera Place.

The Rockets will open the season at home on Friday, September 19, welcoming the Spokane Chiefs for the first game of their 68-game regular season. This campaign sets the stage for intense rivalries and challenging road trips as the team prepares for one of Canadian junior hockey’s biggest events.

A new rivalry will take shape this season as the Penticton Vees join the WHL, quickly becoming one of Kelowna’s fiercest geographic competitors. The two teams will face off eight times, including four meetings at Prospera Place. Their first encounter is scheduled for September 26 in Penticton, followed by a rematch the very next night in Kelowna. With Okanagan bragging rights on the line, this rivalry is expected to heat up quickly.

Kelowna will also continue its historic rivalry with the Kamloops Blazers, meeting six times throughout the season, including home games on January 2, February 21, and March 13. Known for emotional, intense matchups and packed crowds, this season’s battles promise to deliver more of the same excitement.

Regan’s Take: With Penticton joining the league for the 2025-26 season, the Rockets had to cut games against several teams. Instead of their usual two trips to Vancouver Island to face the Victoria Royals four times, they’ll make two trips but only one will be a double-header in early November while the other visit will be a single game. The Rockets will also face the Prince George Cougars just three times at CN Centre – once in early October and then a double-header when they visit in early February. They’ll keep their tradition of back-to-back games in Portland against the Winterhawks, while some other BC Division teams make two separate trips. Looking at the schedule, the Rockets have only 12 of their first 32 games at home but will play 22 of their final 36 games on home ice after the Christmas break.

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The Rockets will host several teams from the Central Division, including a visit from the reigning 2025 WHL Champion Medicine Hat Tigers on October 25. Other Alberta teams visiting Prospera Place include Lethbridge on November 14, Calgary on January 16, Edmonton on November 19, and Red Deer on January 27, providing key interconference challenges for Kelowna.

In December, Kelowna embarks on its annual Eastern Conference road trip, facing five Saskatchewan clubs and one from Manitoba between December 10 and 19. The schedule includes stops in Swift Current, Brandon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert, offering a crucial mid-season test before the holiday break.

Key dates to watch include the home opener on September 19 against the Spokane Chiefs, the first-ever series against the Penticton Vees on September 26 and 27, the home game versus the WHL Champion Medicine Hat Tigers on October 25, the December Saskatchewan road trip from the 10th to the 19th, and the regular season home finale against Penticton on March 21.

All games, all season can be heard on the voice of the Rockets – 104-7 The Lizard or stream the games on RocketFAN!