(Image Credit: Kohen Dengler)

By Regan Bartel

A small-town long shot becomes a Rocket

Ryan Oothoudt’s unlikely road to the WHL

Feb 9, 2026 | 7:25 AM

When the hockey season opened in the fall, Ryan Oothoudt could not have imagined this ending, not even close.

At the time, the Kelowna Rockets did not know his name. He was not part of a depth chart, not a prospect being closely tracked, not someone pencilled into the organization’s plans. He was a 19-year-old forward from a tiny American town, playing in the BCHL and simply trying to stay on a path that might, one day, lead to something bigger.

One week later, that path led straight into the Western Hockey League.

On Friday night in Prince George, Oothoudt made his WHL debut with the Rockets and made it count.

The rookie forward picked up an assist in Kelowna’s gritty 3-2 win over the Prince George Cougars, stepping directly into junior hockey’s highest stage after joining the club only days earlier.

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“It still feels pretty unreal,” Oothoudt said about being called up by the Memorial Cup hosts. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play Tier 1 hockey, especially in the WHL. It’s super exciting, and it’s definitely nerve-wracking too.”

His story begins far from the Western Hockey League.

Oothoudt is from Little Falls, Minnesota, with a population of 9,140. It is a close-knit community where hockey is important, but where opportunities at the highest junior level are rare.

Little Falls’ most famous resident is aviator Charles Lindbergh, who in 1927 made the first nonstop solo flight from New York to Paris, spending 33 hours alone in the cockpit.

On Friday night at CN Centre, Oothoudt began a different kind of journey, stepping onto the ice for his first WHL shift, fully aware of how unlikely this moment once seemed.

“I kind of came out of nowhere,” he said. “Tiny little town in Little Falls. I started the year in Trail, another small town. Then I got the opportunity here.”

That opportunity was created by a series of small changes, the kind that quietly reshape rosters late in a season.

Players move. Roles evolve. Openings appear. And sometimes, the player who fits that opening is not the one people expect.

Oothoudt began the season with the Trail Smoke Eaters in the BCHL after choosing that route over the NAHL.

“It was one or the other for me,” he explained. “I felt the BCHL is a really skilled league. It’s high pace, good offensive hockey, and I thought it fit my game well. Once I got an offer to go to Trail, it was kind of a no-brainer for my development.”

The turning point came in a game he played while on the road.

The Smoke Eaters dropped a 6-1 decision to the West Kelowna Warriors. But inside that loss was what caught Kelowna’s attention.

“My dad actually called me first,” Oothoudt said when he was informed the Rockets were impressed by his play. “He told me, ‘Kelowna wants you.’ I was like, ‘In the Dub?’ I was pretty shocked.”

Shortly after, Rockets assistant general manager Curtis Hamilton reached out.

“He said he had come down and watched me play against West Kelowna and liked my game,” Oothoudt said. “He said he thought I could play and help the team. After that, things kind of went from there. I talked to my agent and made the decision.”

When he looks back at that game, Oothoudt does not pretend it was perfect.

“We lost,” he said. “But I thought I played okay. I thought I played pretty well.”

That was enough.

The call came quickly. The move happened even faster.

Oothoudt arrived in Kelowna last Sunday. Within days, he was skating with a new group, learning systems, learning names and preparing for a jump in competition that even he admits is significant.

“It’s a huge leap,” he told RocketFAN. “That’s why I had the nerves going. But I was also just really excited to get out there and play.”

Those nerves were front and centre when he stepped onto the ice Friday night in Prince George.

“I just try to calm myself down and stay mentally focused,” he said. “That starts before the game with a good warm-up, getting dialled in. Then you just play your game. I think I can play pretty well with nerves. It gives you an extra jump.”

Oothoudt’s first WHL game ended with something every young player hopes for, a point and a nice hit.

When asked to describe his own game, the answer is straightforward.

“I think I’m a good 200-foot player,” he said. “I like to play both sides of the ice. I like being offensive too. My strengths are definitely my speed and my shot. I can make plays, make passes, and I think I’ve got a decent hockey IQ.”

The Rockets believe that profile can translate.

“The guys have been great,” he said. “They’ve been really welcoming. It hasn’t been a super tough transition at all.”

Growing up in Minnesota, Oothoudt became a fan of the Minnesota Wild and watched plenty of NHL hockey. His teammates have joked that he looks like Cale Makar, but the player he models his game after is someone much closer to home.

“I’d say Matt Boldy,” Oothoudt said. “A bigger guy, skilled and plays with pace. I watched him a lot growing up.”

Boldy is a top-six forward with the Minnesota Wild and one of the club’s most dangerous offensive players, known for his size, soft hands and ability to create offence off the rush.

For now, Oothoudt is focused on something much simpler: proving that he belongs.

From Little Falls to Trail to Kelowna, from anonymity to the WHL scoresheet, Ryan Oothoudt’s path has been anything but predictable.

Sometimes, opportunity arrives without warning.