The Rockets’ biggest challenge heading into 2026-2027

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The Rockets are coming off a season in which they scored 259 times, seventh-most among the WHL’s 23 teams.

Generating offense

The Rockets' biggest challenge heading into 2026-2027

5h ago

Notes, quotes and anecdotes

Things that make me go hmm...

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That’s a pretty good number.

But take a closer look at where those goals and points came from, and you quickly realize just how much offensive production has walked out the door.

The Rockets are potentially losing their top six point producers from last season.

That is a massive chunk of offence.

Leading scorer Tij Iginla’s 41 goals and 90 points are no longer on the table. Barring something unexpected, Iginla is expected to have a very good chance to play in the NHL this season with the Utah Mammoth.

Then there is captain Carsen Wetsch.

Wetsch tied Mazden Leslie for the team lead with 50 assists and finished with 68 points. He is also moving on, with the overage forward expected to begin his professional career.

On the back end, Leslie is gone after aging out of junior hockey. He finished with 68 points while being named the Rockets’ Defenseman of the Year.

Shane Smith’s 33 goals are gone as well. Smith is expected to play professionally this season.

Ty Halaburda was the Rockets’ fifth-leading scorer with 29 goals, although not all of those came in Kelowna after he was acquired from the Vancouver Giants at the trade deadline in the Will Sharpe deal.

The 21-year-old is off to NCAA hockey this season.

And then there is Hiroki Gojsic.

If Gojsic does not return for his 20-year-old season, that would be another significant loss.

Gojsic is already under contract with the Nashville Predators, and his future could depend on where he fits into Nashville’s professional plans.

For the Rockets, though, the bottom line is simple.

His 19 goals would also have to be replaced.

Add it all up, and a huge portion of Kelowna’s offence from last season is no longer in the lineup.

So, who scores them?

That is where things get interesting.

The heavy lifting is going to fall on several returning players.

Tomas Poletin is one of them.

Technically, Poletin enters training camp as the Rockets’ leading returning goal scorer.

As a rookie last season, the fourth-round pick of the New York Islanders scored 20 times.

Five of those came against the expansion Penticton Vees.

Not a bad way to pad the rookie goal total.

But Poletin is no longer a rookie.

And with so much offence leaving the lineup, his sophomore season could be a very important one for the Rockets.

Then you have Vojtech Cihar.

You know Cihar is going to challenge for the team scoring title.

The second-year European joined the Rockets shortly after Christmas following an impressive World Junior Championship with Czechia.

The second-round selection of the Los Angeles Kings had 31 points in just 31 regular-season games after joining Kelowna.

Then he took his game to another level in the playoffs.

Cihar led the Rockets in playoff scoring with 13 points, finishing one point ahead of Iginla.

That is probably the biggest reason why there is so much excitement surrounding his second season in Kelowna.

The Rockets aren’t asking Cihar to suddenly become Iginla.

But they are going to need him to become one of the players driving the offence.

And that might be the biggest opportunity of all heading into training camp.

Here is another interesting question:

Who is going to score from the back end?

Or, perhaps in a worst-case scenario, who is going to consistently generate offensive chances from the blue line?

That is where Nate Corbet and Rowan Guest come into the conversation.

Both players are battling for one of just three available overage spots, and they were the Rockets’ leading point producers (on defense) during the 2026 playoffs.

Interestingly enough, both finished the postseason with more points than Leslie.

But there is a pretty significant difference between playoff production and what they provided during the regular season.

Corbet and Guest combined for just four goals during the regular season.

Four.

So expecting those two to suddenly replace what Leslie gave the Rockets offensively would be unrealistic.

And that raises another question heading into camp.

Is this where a trade comes into play?

Could the Rockets look to acquire a defenceman who can put up decent offensive numbers and quarterback the power play?

It’s certainly worth watching.

Because there are plenty of opportunities in Kelowna this season.

There are also a lot of goals that need replacing.

And that might be the biggest storyline coming out of training camp.

Where have all the goals gone?

We’re about to find out.