
RocketFAN News

Competitive training camp
Rockets eye tough roster decisions
The Kelowna Rockets are going to have a different look when they hit the ice this fall. That's only natural. After hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup, the organization has spent the summer reshaping its roster. Some familiar faces have moved on, a talented European forward is on the way, and several veterans will be battlin...
Jul 27, 2026
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Coaching vacancy
Don Hay steps back, Rockets search begins
The Kelowna Rockets are looking for a new assistant coach, but one of the most respected hockey minds in the game isn't disappearing.Don Hay is simply stepping back.The 72-year-old joined the Rockets on June 27th of last year, brought in to provide experience and another set of eyes behind the bench as Kelowna prepared...
Jul 21, 2026
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Madden Daneault's expanded role
First overall pick gets green light for 2026-27 Rockets season
Rockets press release:The Kelowna Rockets announced today that 2026 WHL Prospects Draft first overall selection Madden Daneault is eligible to play up to 34 regular-season games with the club during the 2026-27 season under Hockey Canada's Western Canadian Development Model (WCDM).Daneault, selected first overall by th...
Jul 15, 2026
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Adding more American talent
Rockets add Minnesota product
Rockets media release: The Kelowna Rockets have added another talented forward to their prospect group, signing 2007-born winger Cole Braunshausen (pronounced BROWN-how-zen) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.Braunshausen was originally listed by the Rockets during the 2025-26 season and now officially join...
Jul 13, 2026
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The calm before the WHL storm
No games, fewer headlines, but plenty happening in hockey
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 ...
Jul 08, 2026
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Bring in 2026-2027 season
Rockets schedule released
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...
Jun 30, 2026
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Czech Mate
Two forwards chosen in CHL Import Draft
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...
Jun 30, 2026
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Owen Hayden sent to T-Birds
Rockets deal young d-man to Seattle
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...
Jun 29, 2026
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Facing off against Kamloops/Penticton
Kelowna Rockets set preseason dates
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...
Jun 24, 2026
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Short summer
Rockets start season on road
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 ...
Jun 17, 2026
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Short term stay
Rockets add defender Dane Sorensen
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...
Jun 15, 2026
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The tournament is done. The hard part isn’t.
After the Memorial Cup: Rockets head into another big offseason
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...
Jun 11, 2026
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Tricia Korzak cheers on her son
Teacher by day, hockey mom by night
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...
Jun 08, 2026
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Reflecting on Memorial Cup
'It was a great success' - MC Co-Chair Steve Thomson
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...
Jun 04, 2026
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RocketFAN speaks with Dan MacKenzie
CHL president says Kelowna delivered on national stage
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...
Jun 01, 2026
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Richard Doerksen still loves the journey
The man who never misses the Memorial Cup
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....
May 30, 2026
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Get to know anthem singer Ashley Klimpke
Singing it, and bringing it
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...
May 29, 2026
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From Kelowna kid to Memorial Cup ice master
An ice nerd's dream: Wayne Pansegrau back where it all began
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...
May 29, 2026
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What's Trending
Competitive training camp
Rockets eye tough roster decisions
Jul 27, 2026

Rockets await start of Memorial Cup
Chances were there. Goals weren't
Coaching vacancy
Don Hay steps back, Rockets search begins
Jul 21, 2026
Madden Daneault's expanded role
First overall pick gets green light for 2026-27 Rockets season
Jul 15, 2026



