Photo credit: RocketFAN

By Regan Bartel

From dated to dazzling

A Titanic upgrade: Prospera Place’s massive new scoreboard steals the show

Jul 4, 2025 | 1:56 PM

It sticks out like a sore thumb. More like a red, juicy zit on a teenager’s face right before grad photos. It’s massive. It’s impossible to ignore. The new scoreboard at Prospera Place is nothing short of Titanic, but this one isn’t sinking. 

It’s a beast. All it needs now is to light up like a Christmas tree on espresso to show off its brilliance. And for a price tag over two million dollars, it had better glow like it’s trying to land planes. 

This scoreboard is the centerpiece of a five-million-dollar upgrade from the City of Kelowna, finally giving Prospera the facelift it’s been begging for. The building was once the envy of the WHL and a recruiting tool that turned heads. Then it started aging like milk. Aside from a new coat of paint and a few replacement bulbs, it felt like the arena had been stuck in 1999. 

Not anymore. With the newest scoreboard in the CHL now hanging proudly overhead, the old one is headed for retirement, or the scrap yard, where good luck finding anyone who still stocks parts from the Ice Age. 

Kelowna-10 shared a feature video this week on the recent improvements. Click below:  

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https://kelowna10.com/heres-the-huge-new-score-clock-for-prospera-place/

“It is gratifying to be bringing the Memorial Cup back to this community,” Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas told RocketFAN, as he unveiled the shiny new score clock to the media. 

For Dyas, it’s more than just an upgrade. He was the chair of the Kelowna Rockets Memorial Cup committee that won the bid to host the event in 2020 — only to see it painfully ripped away. Not because Prospera Place wasn’t up to snuff, but because the COVID-19 pandemic flipped the entire hockey world on its head. 

Now, five years later, the Cup is finally coming back. And this time, the arena won’t just meet the standard, it’ll be a showpiece. 

“It’s gratifying to see some of the things we had planned for 2020 finally becoming reality for the 2026 Memorial Cup,” Dyas added. 

“I was in the crowd back in 2004, the last time we hosted the tournament. I remember those inflatable noise makers, every fan had a pair, and the noise was unreal. So the idea of bringing that kind of energy back, both inside the arena and with the events outside, is exciting. The new sound system, the scoreboard, even the improved Wi-Fi. It all helps move this event forward. I’m proud to have played a role in it.” 

Speaking of sound systems… let’s talk about that. 

The Kelowna Rockets employ one of the best public address announcers in the WHL in Bill Barnes. His voice is pure velvet deep, booming, the kind of tone that should shake the rafters. The problem? It was getting swallowed by a sound system that made him sound like he was chewing marbles in a tin can. 

Fans often complained they couldn’t understand him, or that it was too loud on one end and barely audible on the other. The truth probably lived somewhere in the middle. Either way, the new sound system finally gives Bill the stage he deserves and gives fans the clarity they’ve been waiting for. 

“The old clock in here was about 14 feet across,” Dyas said, sounding every bit like a proud dad showing off his firstborn. “This one is 34 feet. It has 21 square feet of digital space. It’s about 790 times the size of the previous one.” 

Fans are going to be blown away when they see it light up for the first Kelowna Rockets game. It might catch some off guard at first, especially given the relatively low roofline at Prospera Place. Some might even whisper that it’s too big. 

Give it a period or two. 

Once people realize how sharp the visuals are, how crisp the replays look, and how much it elevates the game experience, even the skeptics will be nodding along. It’s big. It’s bold. And it’s exactly what the arena needed. 

As for the new sound system? Sure, the older crowd might grumble that the music is too loud — but honestly, it’s the perfect excuse to avoid small talk with the overly chatty neighbour beside them. You know the one. Loves sharing opinions, sees the game like a bench boss, and somehow talks through all three periods without missing a beat. 

All joking aside, American-based Daktronics isn’t exactly a small fish when it comes to building top-tier scoreboards. In fact, they’re the big fish. The massive video board in many NHL arenas? That’s them. The Toronto Blue Jays (MLB), Miami Heat (NBA), and Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) also trust Daktronics to light up their venues. 

“This clock met and exceeded the CHL standards for the Memorial Cup,” Dyas said proudly. 

And the upgrades don’t stop there. 

Who doesn’t love Zambonis? Two brand-new, fresh-off-the-factory-floor machines are set to arrive in September. Just in time to make that ice shine like never before.