Photo credit: RocketFAN

By Regan Bartel

Let the games begin!

Rockets’ young guns face veterans

Aug 28, 2025 | 7:00 AM

For a second straight training camp, the Kelowna Rockets will have the rookies mingle with the veterans right from the start when camp opens today at Prospera Place.

Sixty-two players will try to earn a spot in this Memorial Cup hosting season. Ok, some of the players attending camp are ineligible to play for the team this season after just being selected in the most recent WHL Prospects Draft, but you get the idea.

Entering any training camp, the focus is typically on the overage spots, which each team is allowed to fill with only three players born in 2005, outside of the expansion Penticton Vees, who are allowed four in its inaugural season. This season won’t be as intriguing as a year ago when Jari Kykkanen, Michael Cicek, Luke Schelter, and Max Graham were fighting to stay on the team. The 2026 training camp features returning defenseman Carter Kowalyk and newly acquired Mazden Leslie.

The team released goaltender Rhett Stoesser, a 20-year-old, and forward Andrew Petruk this summer, so the team will look for a significant overager to add to the roster if one becomes available. It is a good position to be in.

By our count, the team has 11-19 year-old players on its roster, with newly acquired Carson Wetsch in a trade with the Calgary Hitmen and European forward Daniel Pekar among the 2006-born players on that list.

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The oldest goalie is about to turn 19 year-old Jake Pilon, who will battle for the number one spot with American-born rookie Harrison Boettinger, who was acquired along with Will Sharpe from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Caden Price deal.

The players are split into three teams and will compete against one another in scrimmages followed by practice sessions.

For RocketFAN, it is always interesting to see how players have changed physically since we last saw them in at the end of March.

We will attend camp and report back on what we observe over the next four days.

The Rockets opening pre-season game is September 3rd against the expansion Penticton Vees.