Things that make me go hmm..

Jun 10, 2024 | 7:00 AM

It may be mid-June, but the hockey world hasn’t stopped for summer. While not officially arriving until June 20th, the Stanley Cup final is in full swing with the NHL Entry Draft slated for June 28th and 29th. With Leon Draisaitl competing for the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers, a win of the ‘holy grail’ and the mural of him located outside of the Kelowna Rockets dressing room will need an update. The Stanley Cup will need to be added to the list of hardware he has achieved in his hockey career.
Tij Iginla was busy this past week participating at the NHL Combine in Buffalo. The key is not to embarrass yourself in the physical testing. Remember how Sam Bennett was ridiculed years ago for not being able to do a pullup? Now he is playing for the Stanley Cup, which shows his lack of upper-body strength in his draft year meant little, yet the media made it out to be more than it needed to be. While it’s unclear how much preparation Iginla had in the physical testing, one thing we do know is how well-rounded of an athlete he is. If you need proof, check out the video Kelowna-10 did last summer with him on the basketball court. https://kelowna10.com/regan-vs-rockets-tij-iginla
The Kamloops Blazers didn’t waste any time in dealing with their overage situation. They made two moves in May to solidify that position, by acquiring Landon Feist, former Kelowna Rockets captain Tyson Feist’s younger brother and then brought in Oren Shtrom from the Prince George Cougars. Trades in May are somewhat rare, but in saying that, last May (May 26th) the Kelowna Rockets acquired Michael Cicek from the Spokane Chiefs for a fifth-round pick to upgrade their 19-year-old forwards. Cicek went on to have a career season in games played, goals, assists and points.
Speaking of overagers, what is the fate of ex-Kelowna Rockets John Babcock in Saskatoon and Nolan Flamand in Brandon? Both are now 20-year-olds, and each team is only allowed three. Flamand had a career year with 20 goals and 44 points, and if he returns this season, will be one of the oldest players in the WHL, with his birthday January 26th. Babcock, who played in 13 of the Blades 16 playoff games, was acquired from the Kelowna Rockets for d-man Carter Kowalyk, a second-round prospects pick and a third rounder in a three-team deal that also involved the Edmonton Oil Kings. That’s a great return for a player who likely would have been hard pressed to make the Rockets as an overage this season.
The Rockets have five 20-year-olds on their roster when camp opens in late August. Max Graham is joined by goaltender Jari Kykkanen, Michael Cicek, Ty Hurley and Luke Schelter. Graham and Kykkanen are the odds-on favourites to earn two of those coveted spots. It will be interesting to watch who earns the final position.
Ok, which team earned the most points in the WHL this past season? Oh, how quickly we forget. The Saskatoon Blades had 105 points, followed by Prince George with 102. The fact remains, we put way too much value on regular season success, and while earning points puts you in a better spot when the playoffs finally arrive, at the end of the day, what fans remember is who is the league champion.
To think, the Blades had 34 more points than the Kelowna Rockets during the regular season yet played in only five more playoff games. Wow.
Love is in the air. Summer is often a time for weddings. Riley Stadel, who was a member of the Kelowna Rockets 2015 championship team just got hitched, while Calvin Thurkauf also tied the knot. Former Kelowna Rockets captain Rodney Southam is engaged and will officially become a husband this fall.
The broadcasting carousel in the WHL goes round-and-round again! The Prince Albert Raiders have an opening, as does the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Vancouver Giants were often snickered at for the lack of stability behind the mic, with the name of the radio caller changing as quickly as the turning of the leaves in the fall, but now the smaller market teams are struggling keeping a broadcaster happy.
Lots was made this week about broadcaster Rick Ball moving on to the Chicago Blackhawks organization after calling games on television for the Calgary Flames. The Flames lost a really great broadcaster, who broke into the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, calling games here between 1995 and 2000 before departing for Victoria. I remember having coffee with Ball in downtown Kelowna in the summer of 1995 and discussing the fact he was moving on, quickly handing in my resume and meeting with the radio station shortly after that. Even to this day, I feel so blessed to be chosen to take over from Ball.
When an NHL broadcasting position becomes available, many WHL broadcasters wanting to make the jump often get overly excited. The fact remains, a radio broadcaster at our level may get a shot at a radio gig, but jumping to television is a pipe dream. It just isn’t happening, especially when 99% of the radio broadcasters at our level have hardly any TV experience. NHL teams can’t risk bringing in someone who is green.
Two former Kelowna Rockets, a player and coach, are in the winner’s circle. For a third straight season the Florida Everblades are ECHL champion. Matthew Wedman was a member of the Kelly Cup champion, and scored the series clinching goal in overtime, with Brad Ralph watching from the bench as the Everblades head coach. Wedman was acquired by the Kelowna Rockets on December 5, 2019, while Ralph was hired for one brief season in August of 2015 with the departure of Dan Lambert. Wedman ended up playing just 35 games, with the playoffs and 2020 Memorial Cup being cancelled because of COVID.

Things that make me go hmm..

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