Early July is always an interesting time in the Western Hockey League.The noise has faded.The season is over. The draft is complete. Free agency has opened and closed. For the most part, the hockey world takes a collective breath.And it should.For those who work in junior hockey, this is the one time of year when they ...

The Kelowna Rockets have announced their schedule for the 2026-27 season.The Rockets open the season on the road against the Vancouver Giants on Saturday, September 19th. Kelowna's home opener follows one week later on Saturday, September 26th, when the Rockets host the Penticton Vees at Prospera Place in the annual Ba...

The Kelowna Rockets added two forwards in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, selecting 2007-born Jakub Frolo 33rd overall in the first round before taking 2009-born Petr Hörnig 173rd overall in the third round."We're excited about the players we were able to add today," said President & General Manager Bruce...

The Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds, who often meet in the playoffs and also do business off the ice, completed a trade. Kelowna has sent 2009-born defenceman Owen Hayden, a 2026 CHL Import Draft second-round pick (112th overall), and a 2028 fourth-round pick to Seattle. In return, the Rockets receive a 2026 C...

The Kelowna Rockets have announced a four-game preseason schedule that will give fans their first look at the club ahead of the 2026-27 WHL season.Kelowna will play a home-and-home exhibition series against both the Kamloops Blazers and Penticton Vees as preparations begin for what promises to be an exciting season.The...

When you play late into May, like the Kelowna Rockets did hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup, the WHL offseason doesn't feel like much of an offseason at all. You blink, and suddenly mid-June is here and the next season is already taking shape.On Wednesday, the Rockets got more clarity on the road ahead as the WHL released ...

The Kelowna Rockets have added some size and experience to the back end.The Rockets have acquired the playing rights to 19-year-old defenceman Dane Sorensen from the Victoria Royals in exchange for a conditional 2030 fifth-round pick and a conditional 2027 sixth-rounder originally owned by Seattle.The 6-foot-1, 183-pou...

It has been just over three weeks since the start of the 2026 Memorial Cup, and while the Kelowna Rockets did not get the results they wanted on the ice, this tournament is right up there for me as one of the more rewarding ones I have covered as a broadcaster, now six of them in the books.There is always a strange bal...

From a grade 3 classroom in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, to the edge of hockey history in Las Vegas, it still does not quite feel real for Tricia Korczak.Most mornings, she is still a teacher first. Reading groups, math lessons, young students full of questions and energy. But lately, there has been a different kind of cur...

The 2026 Memorial Cup in Kelowna is officially in the books, and for one of its co-chairs, the lasting impression isn't just about hockey, it's about community, pride, and proof of what a city can do when it comes together.Steve Thomson helped lead the local organizing effort alongside David Rush, guiding the tournamen...

The 2026 Memorial Cup came to an end Sunday night at Prospera Place with the Kitchener Rangers skating away with a convincing 6-2 victory over the Western Hockey League champion Everett Silvertips.As the Rangers celebrated a national championship and players took turns lifting the Memorial Cup, Canadian Hockey League p...

The banners change. The logos change. The players get younger. But somehow, every spring, Richard Doerksen ends up back at the Memorial Cup. The Western Hockey League's Vice President of Hockey has spent 48 years working in the league. He has attended 45 Memorial Cups, a number that places him in a category of his own....

While the players battle for the hardest trophy in hockey to win, Kelowna's Ashley Klimpke has quietly faced her own challenge at the 2026 Memorial Cup. Four teams arrived in the Okanagan knowing they would have to perform at their absolute peak if they wanted to survive the grind of junior hockey's ultimate tournament...

The crowd sees the goals. The players feel the pressure. The coaches obsess over matchups.But few people spend more time thinking about the Memorial Cup than the man staring at the ice with a temperature gun in his hand.For Wayne Pansegrau, hockey's biggest junior tournament isn't just about who wins. It's about making...

The Everett Silvertips spent the entire season proving they were the best team in the Western Hockey League.On Wednesday night at Prospera Place, they proved it one final time against the Kelowna Rockets.Everett shut out the host Rockets 4-0 to eliminate Kelowna from the 2026 Memorial Cup, ending a season in which the ...

Josh Banini might not play the position like a textbook goaltender, but that is part of what makes him effective.When the season was on the line at the Memorial Cup, Derrick Martin turned to the battling netminder to backstop the Kelowna Rockets against the Everett Silvertips."Josh is a guy that's gonna fight for ...

The players take center stage at the Memorial Cup.The goals are replayed. The saves are remembered. The stars become household names.But between the whistles, during television timeouts and commercial breaks, there is another voice helping keep the building alive.That voice belongs to Ryan "Two T's" Watters.M...

The players get drafted.The coaches get interviewed.The officials often work in the background.That is exactly where Kevin Muench is most comfortable.For more than 25 years, the WHL's Senior Director of Officiating and Facilities has helped identify, develop and mentor the men and women responsible for one of the most ...