A hockey team can spend hours in meetings.Coaches can draw up systems on whiteboards, stop practice to correct mistakes and explain the same details over and over again.Eventually, though, there comes a point when the coach doesn't have to say everything.The players start saying it for him.That is an important stage of...

There was a time when Cole Braunshausen couldn't stand skating. That might be difficult to believe now. The 19-year-old Kelowna Rockets rookie can fly up and down the ice, and skating is one of the things he enjoys most about the game. But somewhere in his childhood records is evidence that his relationship with the ic...

The Kelowna Rockets didn't have to wait long to find out whether Friday night's loss in Penticton would teach them something. They got their answer the following night. After letting a 2-1 lead slip away in a 4-2 loss to the Vees on Friday, the Rockets returned home Saturday, fell behind 1-0 and then responded with thr...

For five years, the Kelowna Rockets had watched their home opener end without a win. On Saturday night, they finally got to change that. The Rockets beat the Penticton Vees 3-1 at Prospera Place, getting goals from Eli Barrett, Jacob Henderson and Dawson Gerwing. It was Kelowna's first home-opening win since 2021 and s...

The Kelowna Rockets had a strong start Friday night in Penticton.They couldn't maintain it.The Rockets dropped a 4-2 decision to the Penticton Vees at the South Okanagan Events Centre, opening a home-and-home weekend series between the two teams.Madden Daneault and Cole Braunshausen scored their first WHL goals for the...

Peyton Kettles wanted to be a goalie.He was seven or eight years old, and the future 6-foot-6 Kelowna Rockets defenceman was already dreaming about playing in the crease.His father had other ideas."He said the equipment was a little too expensive," Kettles said with a chuckle.So Peyton became a defenceman.His...

The drywall in the Koch family basement never stood a chance.Before Remy Koch was a Kelowna Rocket, before he knew what it was like to dress for a WHL game at 15, he and his older brother Cash were already playing hockey in their Calgary home's basement.There were no skates. No ice. And apparently, very few rules."...

Rowan Guest's hockey career started with a trip to the discount bin.Not exactly the traditional beginning for a future WHL defenseman.Guest was born in Edmonton but moved to Saskatchewan when he was young. His family eventually settled in Yorkton, where hockey became part of his life.He was only three when some family ...

Penalty shots in overtime are rare.Penalty shots in overtime involving the Kelowna Rockets are apparently really rare.Owen Folstrom found that out Saturday night in Vancouver.With the Rockets and Giants tied, the third-year forward was awarded a penalty shot in overtime, giving Kelowna a chance to end the game without ...

The Kelowna Rockets had plenty of opportunities to leave Langley with two points.They just couldn't find enough finish.Kelowna dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Vancouver Giants Saturday night, despite creating a handful of quality scoring chances, including several partial breakaways and a penalty shot in the ext...

The Rockets don't have to find one player to replace last year's offence.They have to find several.Kelowna lost its top six point producers from a season ago, leaving a lot of offence to replace and plenty of questions heading into the new WHL season.General manager Curtis Hamilton isn't looking for one player to solve...

Every young hockey player thinks he should be playing more.It's one of the realities of the game. A player sees himself as capable of handling another shift, another opportunity or a bigger role. The coach, meanwhile, has to look at the entire lineup and make decisions based on what gives the team its best chance to wi...

Dane Sorensen has the music taste of a man who has already lived a couple of lifetimes. His mother has the proof. "She loves to remind me that my Spotify listening age is 72," Sorensen told RocketFAN with a laugh. That might explain a little about the new Kelowna Rockets defenseman, who is still just 19 but h...

The best goaltenders have something you can't teach on a whiteboard. They have to be able to forget. Forget the goal that just went in. Forget the bad bounce. Forget the mistake in front of them. Then stop the next one. Eli Wilson has spent years trying to develop that mentality in goaltenders, including one who went o...

There was no escaping the Memorial Cup for Derrick Martin.Not after the Kelowna Rockets hosted it. Not after the Rockets were eliminated. And certainly not while the tournament was still being played inside their own building.So Martin went back to the rink.And watched."I forced myself to come to every game,"...

For 19 years, Mike Reagan knew the routine. He knew the players. He knew the buildings. He knew the towns. He knew the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League inside out. Now, he's starting over. Reagan spent 19 seasons as a head coach with the Flin Flon Bombers before joining the Kelowna Rockets this season as an assistant ...

Curtis Hamilton may be the youngest general manager among the WHL's 23 teams, but he's hardly walking into the job empty-handed.At 34, Hamilton has spent the last several years learning the business from the inside, working on scouting, drafting, trades, free agency and roster construction.He was also part of the group...

The Kelowna Rockets picked up their first win of the 2026 preseason Saturday night, beating the Kamloops Blazers 3-2 in a shootout at Prospera Place.Dane Sorensen and Ryan Oothoudt each had a goal and an assist, while Josh Banini stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Kelowna net.Drew Larioza and Cole Braunshausen scored in the...