Picking a European player in the CHL Import Draft used to be part scouting, part guesswork, and part spinning around blindfolded, firing a gun, and hoping you didn't hit your foot. Now? It's all about connections. Teams work the phones and lean on contacts to find out which agents have players willing to cross the pond...

Sometimes, timing is everything. For Derrick Martin, it might just be perfect. Last season, Martin joined the Kelowna Rockets as an assistant, his first crack at coaching in the WHL. The idea was he'd dip a toe in, maybe ease into the league, learn the ropes. Instead? He cannonballed straight into the head coaching job...

When the Kelowna Rockets hosted the Memorial Cup in 2004, they made a bold move by hiring Marc Habscheid away from the Kamloops Blazers to lead the charge toward junior hockey's biggest prize. It worked. The Rockets won it all on home ice and carved out a legacy that still resonates across the WHL. Now, with the Memori...

A new era is on the horizon for the Kelowna Rockets. The team is getting set to hold a press conference to introduce its updated coaching staff ahead of the 2025-26 WHL season. No names have been confirmed yet, but all signs point to some major changes, possibly including a brand-new head coach and fresh faces on the s...

The Kelowna Rockets have announced their full 2025-26 regular season schedule, marking the official start of the countdown to the 2026 Memorial Cup, which Kelowna will host next spring at Prospera Place. The Rockets will open the season at home on Friday, September 19, welcoming the Spokane Chiefs for the first game of...

Rockets press release: The Kelowna Rockets are proud to announce that they have signed goaltender Harrison Boettiger to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Boettiger, a 6'2", 186-pound netminder from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, was originally selected 4th overall by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2022 WHL U....

The Kelowna Rockets have just released the details on their 2025-2026 season ticket packages, and honestly? Not bad at all. If you're a senior, you can catch every game in a Memorial Cup year for about $650. That's like the cost of a new iPhone case and five trips to Denny's. Adult season tickets come in around $800, w...

That classic line from Canadian rock legends Trooper - "We're here for a good time, not a long time" - could've been written specifically for Leon Draisaitl's brief but memorable stint with the Kelowna Rockets. Picture it: January 6, 2015. Kelowna International Airport. Cameras flashing, reporters buzzing, Ro...

WHL press release: Kelowna Rockets forward Carson Wetsch has won the Dayna Brons Honorary Award. The recognition is presented annually by Hockey Gives Blood to recognize a player who exhibits outstanding dedication to patients who rely on blood and stem cell products in Canada. "It's been a blast doing this for t...

Take a couple of weeks off, and what happens? While I was eating smoked meat in Montreal and pretending to speak perfect French in Quebec City, the junior hockey world exploded with off-ice drama. Even if you're just a casual fan, it's been impossible to miss. And if you're a Rockets fan like we are, there's a lot to d...

Things are heating up at Prospera Place, and not just because it's summer. The City of Kelowna is moving full steam ahead with a series of major upgrades aimed at enhancing the fan experience and getting the arena ready for the spotlight of the 2026 Memorial Cup. Some of the key pieces of equipment arrived this week, ...

Kelowna Rockets press release: The Kelowna Rockets are pleased to announce that the club will open the 2025-26 WHL regular season on home ice against the Spokane Chiefs on Friday, September 19, at 7:05 PM at Prospera Place. This marks just the third time in franchise history that the Rockets will face Spokane in a home...

There's an old saying: If you don't ask, you don't get. The Kelowna Rockets didn't just ask, they pushed, pursued, and pulled off one of the most intriguing offseason moves in the WHL so far. The Rockets acquired defenseman Mazden Leslie last week from the Vancouver Giants, a 20-year-old with elite offensive upside and...

Bruce Hamilton doesn't do fluff. Never has, never will. So when the longtime GM of the Kelowna Rockets stepped up to the mic at the Memorial Cup 2026 headquarters launch party on Manhattan Drive, there was no mistaking his message. "We are in it to win it," he said calm, direct, and deadly serious. That wasn'...

Rockets press release: The Kelowna Rockets have acquired Mazden Leslie, a 2005-born right-shot defenseman, from the Vancouver Giants in exchange for a conditional 2028 first-round pick and a conditional 2026 third-round pick (Seattle). A native of Lloydminster, Alberta, Leslie brings elite offensive production from the...

Kelowna Press Release: The Kelowna Rockets are pleased to announce the hiring of Kohen Willis Dengler as the team's new Director of Communications & Social Media. A native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Willis Dengler brings a dynamic background in marketing, communications, and business operations. Most recently, ...

Josh Gorges might be 40 now, and sure, his hair is significantly greyer than it was back in 2004 - but don't let that fool you. When he talks about the Memorial Cup, those goosebumps come rushing back like he's still wearing the Kelowna Rockets jersey, leading the charge as captain. At the official Memorial Cup 2026 he...

The Western Hockey League didn't feature a single American-born goaltender among its 22 teams during the 2024-25 season. That's about to change this fall when 17-year-old Harry Boettinger, born in Denver, Colorado, suits up for the Kelowna Rockets. Boettinger was part of the return package in the January trade that se...